Hedayatullah Badri, the Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum, held a meeting with Mohammad Murad Amanov, the Executive Director of the TAPI project, on Saturday in Kabul. The discussions centered around expediting the implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, which has been underway in Afghanistan for over two months.

During the meeting, both parties reviewed the recent progress of the project and identified strategies to accelerate the remaining phases. Particular attention was given to creating more job opportunities for Afghan workers, enhancing the technical expertise of Afghan engineers, and addressing other critical aspects of the initiative.

The TAPI pipeline project is a cornerstone of regional energy cooperation, aiming to transport natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan to India. Beyond its energy implications, the project is expected to bring significant economic benefits, including employment generation and capacity-building initiatives for local communities.

Officials emphasized their commitment to overcoming challenges and ensuring the successful completion of the project, which is seen as vital for fostering regional economic integration and energy security.

Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, recently stated that the military strike on the Barmal district of Paktika province in Afghanistan was an appropriate response to the armed opposition confronting Islamabad.

In a meeting in Islamabad, Sharif warned that Pakistan has, and will continue to deliver a strong and decisive response to cross-border attacks. He emphasized that both internal and external forces are actively working against Pakistan's stability.

"Today, we are addressing the attack on Pakistan that occurred in recent days, and we responded appropriately," Sharif said. "There are still operatives and fighters in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, who are plotting against us. We are aware that some who are sitting abroad, posing as friends, are in fact working against Pakistan, which is a serious threat."

However, Pakistani media have reported that the Prime Minister's remarks refer to the influence of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which operates from Afghan soil and has faced resistance from Pakistani forces. While Pakistani authorities have described the operation as a defensive measure, local sources and Afghanistan's Ministry of National Defense said that the Pakistani airstrike on Barmal district led to civilian casualties, including women and children.

In response to Sharif’s comments, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, stated that Pakistan's issues are internal and that if Islamabad pursues a path of hostility with Afghanistan, it will ultimately face failure.

Stanikzai also issued a warning, asserting: "If Afghanistan were to send the 'five sons of Mahmud, Abdali, or Babur' across the border, no one—not even in the Indian Ocean—could stop them." He further emphasized that Afghan forces have successfully safeguarded the nation’s borders, adding, "If the enemy has looked at it with an evil eye, they have plucked out their eye."

Experts, however, believe there are contradictions in the views and positions of various Pakistani institutions and officials regarding Afghanistan. While Sharif speaks of military confrontation, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has consistently advocated for diplomacy and expressed a desire for peaceful, friendly relations with Afghanistan.

Despite hundreds of small and large factories operating in Herat, unemployment rate is rising in the western Afghan province.

Many laborers wait for work from morning till evening in every corner of the city, with some saying that they cannot find work even in a week.

Life has become difficult for the laborers during the cold winter. They cannot meet their basic living expenses.

Sayed Mahdi was deported from Iran a month ago. He is now looking for work every day. His family is in Iran and he himself spends difficult nights and days in Herat. Like Sayed Mahdi, dozens of other young people wait to find work every day.

“I came to live in my country. But what hope do I have to live with? Should I go and sleep in a mosque? In this cold season, there is no work,” he said.

Mohammad Ali, a laborer, says: “I was deported and I have no proper place to live in. My family is there. My four children are there. They deported me. There are people here whose conditions are much worse than mine.”

Some laborers say that unemployment has increased compared to last year and now they are going through a difficult situation in this cold weather. They say that they cannot afford to pay for their basic living expenses and this situation is bothering them.

“I have not been able to work for two or three weeks. There is unemployment. There are two or three thousand workers here, but there is no work,” says Ahmad Shah, a laborer.

Ghulam Rasool, another laborer, says: “When we go home empty-handed, our child gets upset. But we have no choice. My child has expectations. My wife has expectations.”

Aziz Ahmad waits for work with his tools in another corner of Herat city. He says that job opportunities have decreased greatly, cost of living is high, and there is no work to meet his basic living expenses.

He says: “I stand here from morning to evening, but there's no work."

Local officials have repeatedly said that thousands of people work in the Herat Industrial Park and that efforts are being made to reduce unemployment by launching mining projects.