Ghazala Anbreen's work spans energy, journalism, and advocacy; making her a multifaced contributor to important discussions.

The TAPI gas pipeline project was signed in 1991. Geographically, it is a trans-country natural gas pipeline that crosses 4 countries—Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. The estimated cost involved was $10 billion. The construction of an 1127-mile (1814-kilometer) long pipeline with a 56-inch diameter, able to pass 3.2 billion cubic feet per day from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas field with deposits amounting to 27.4 trillion cubic meters, started in 2018.

The gas transportation route was supposed to start from Turkmenistan’s Galkynys gas field, cross Herat, Qandhar, Chaman, Zhob, DG Khan, Multan, and finally end in Fazilka in India at the Indo-Pak border. 70% of its shares will be from an international donor—the Asian Development Bank (ADB), while a 200 million dollar share is from Pakistan.

It will supply 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the three countries annually. Pakistan and India have an even share of 42% of total volume and Afghanistan will be given 16%.

Initially, this project had to be completed by 2019. It was envisaged that approximately a 214 km long section would run through Turkmenistan, 774 km through Afghanistan, and 826 km from Pakistan to Fazilka. 1.34 billion cubic feet of gas were to be delivered to Pakistan daily and therefore, for Pakistan, the TAPI pipeline was a solution for persistent energy shortfalls.

This project was funded by the ADB and had to restart in December 2022. However, due to a precarious security situation, the work halted yet again.

A glance at its timeline will show that in 2008, negotiations regarding this project started. In December 2015, a stone laying down ceremony was held in Turkmenistan. The beginning of construction was marked by a ceremony held in February of 2018. It was assumed that in October 2019 construction had to be started in Pakistan and by the year 2020, it would be completed, but it could not commence as the internal disturbances in Afghanistan had also........

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