Taliban Vs Haqqani Network: Dispute Inside Taliban Over Big Economic Projects In Afghanistan TAPI Gas Pipeline UN Report Claims

Kabul/Washington: Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban-appointed interior minister in Afghanistan, reportedly wants to take control of major economic projects, mainly the construction of the Afghan section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project. This has been claimed in a United Nations report. The report also states that there is an increasing threat of terrorism in Afghanistan and its surrounding region. The 14th Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) states that infighting among Taliban officials over the distribution of posts in the federal and provincial administration in Afghanistan is ‘apparent’.
“There are reportedly massive differences between Acting Interior Minister and Haqqani Network leader Sirajuddin Haqqani and Acting First Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Baradar,” said the report released on Friday. It said Baradar has “reduced influence” in the government, but continues to have the support of the administrations of the southern provinces. In addition, Baradar wants to control the process of granting international recognition to the Taliban, lifting the embargo on Afghan assets abroad, and expanding the scope of foreign aid to the country.

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Haqqani eyes on TAPI gas pipeline

“The conflict revolves around competition for government positions and control over routes to smuggle financial and natural resources and commercial goods,” the report said. According to the report, ‘Sirajuddin Haqqani allegedly wants to take control of the biggest economic projects. These mainly include the project related to the construction of the Afghan section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline. About 1,814 km long, this natural gas pipeline originates from Turkmenistan and reaches India via Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) and Gas Pipeline Framework Agreement (GPFI) in December 2010 for the development of this pipeline. The construction of this pipeline started in 2015, but little progress has been made due to instability in Afghanistan. The United Nations report says that the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) maintain a “strong and cordial” alliance and that terrorist groups have a free hand at the behest of Taliban officials, leading to The threat of terrorism is on the rise in the country and the region.