Turkmenistan Afghanistan Pakistan India Gas Pipeline and Foreign Policy of Pakistan

Abstract

Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan India gas pipeline project is a component of an extensive plan to develop Asia’s interconnected energy systems. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline has a significant impact on energy security and regional integration in South Asia. This gas pipeline project can address the growing energy demand of the region. However, due to the volatility in the political landscape of South Asia and the complexity of large-scale energy projects, the project is facing a number of critical challenges that need the focus of the regional partners and stakeholders. The limited literature on the TAP gas pipeline project has focused on security hurdles to the projects from the member countries’ perspective. The research study found that the main hurdle to executing the TAP gas pipeline project in Pakistan is the country’s internal issues, a lack of investments, lack of financial resources, international pressure, the country’s regional issues and the dynamics of changing regional situations. The research study is proposed to be useful for policymakers to evaluate the implication of energy import dependency and to frame foreign policy.