Averting damage: Kabul shares security plan for power, gas import

Afghanistan has shared its security plan and has taken local tribes into confidence. The Afghan government will provide jobs for the locals, who will also get a share in royalty and compensation for land. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: 

Afghanistan has shared its security plan with Pakistan and other countries for safeguarding power transmission lines and a gas pipeline that will pass through its territory, saying it will engage local tribes to protect the infrastructure from militant attacks.

The plan comes as the countries participating in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and CASA-1000 power import projects are concerned about the security of the pipeline and transmission lines passing through war-torn Afghanistan because of the presence of Taliban, say officials who are aware of the developments.

Afghanistan has given assurances that it will ensure security of the infrastructure in its troubled parts.

“Afghanistan has shared its security plan and has taken local tribes into confidence. The Afghan government will provide jobs for the locals, who will also get a share in royalty and compensation for land,” an official said.

The government would also undertake social welfare schemes in the areas from where transmission lines would pass and tribal people would be assigned the security task, the official said.

Under CASA-1000, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will supply about 1,300 megawatts of electricity, which will come through Afghanistan that will get 300MW, to Pakistan.

Citing an example, Afghan officials say they already have transmission lines coming from Tajikistan and to protect these they are following the same formula.

Tajikistan is supplying electricity to Kunduz area in Afghanistan through a double-circuit 110-kilovolt link.

The security cost has been included in the total project cost, which will be incurred on shielding the power transmission lines from sabotage.

TAPI pipeline

Like the power import project, the Afghan government will engage local people to protect TAPI gas pipeline by offering them job opportunities, compensation for land, royalty and launching social welfare projects for community development.

“Tribes close to the TAPI pipeline will get royalty, therefore, they will be responsible for the security of the pipeline,” the official said, adding TAPI Company would also be involved in implementing the security plan.

In the TAPI project, Turkmenistan will supply gas to three countries through a pipeline which will reach India after passing through Afghanistan and Pakistan.

On its part, the Pakistan government has also planned to engage local people, especially in Balochistan, to beef up security of the gas pipeline.

The government will also invest in local people, provide them jobs and launch social welfare schemes. It has discussed a plan to form a local security force which will be assigned the task of securing the pipeline