CASA-1000 Power Line Awarded To Indian Subcontractor, Transiting Most Dangerous Provinces of Afghanistan

“A 750 km 500 kV High Voltage Direct Current (HV DC) transmission system between Tajikistan (117 km) through Afghanistan (562 km) to Pakistan (71 km). The
HVDC line begins at the Sangtuda Hydropower Plant in Tajikistan and extends south via Kurgan-Tyube and Dusti (both in Tajikistan) and crosses into Afghanistan near Nizhny. From there, the corridor proceeds via Kunduz, Pul-e-khumri, Dowshi, Khanjan, the Salang Pass and Charika to the outskirts of Kabul. From Kabul the corridor goes east to Peshawar (Pakistan) via Jalalabad (Afghanistan).
The proposed ROW has difficult terrain for approximately 160 km with a maximum altitude of 3750 masl. Key population centers along the route includes Kabul, as well as the towns of
Kunduz, Baghlan, Pul-e-Khumri, Raqi, Mehtar Lam and Jalalabad.”

[All of the towns mentioned in the Asian Development Bank CASA- 1000 report are in some of the most heavily-contested Afghan towns and cities, from Kunduz to Torkham Crossing in Nangarhar.]

 

Energy and water minister says construction of CASA-1000 project in Afghanistan will cost $404 million, 20 percent of which will be paid by the Afghan government.

Officials from the Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE) on Tuesday said construction of the 1000 Electricity Transmission and Trade Project for Central Asia and South Asia (CASA) will be launched soon by an Indian company, which has won the tender.

The ministry said the company will complete the construction of the project in three years.

The energy and water minister Abdul Basir Azimi said the construction phase of the project will cost $404 million USD of which 80 percent will be funded by the World Bank and the remaining 20 percent will be paid by the Afghan government.

“The project can have a good result if the work on it in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Afghanistan is started at the same time,” he said. “Fortunately we have established good cooperation and coherence (with CASA member countries). Surveys and other administrative activities of the project have moved forward at a good pace from Afghanistan’s side.”

CASA-1000 project was officially inaugurated last year.

In July officials from the CASA-1000 member countries met in Tajikistan to discuss the project.

Economic affairs analysts said they are not very hopeful about the implementation of the project due to a lack of cooperation between the affected countries.

The analysts term the increasing insecurity in Afghanistan as another hurdle for the electricity transmission project.

“Insecurity is the biggest obstacle on the way of investments and economic growth in the country. If government can eradicate insecurity, especially on the route of CASA-1000, then we will benefit from the project,” said Nabi Sadat, an economic affairs analyst.

CASA-1000 project will cost more than $1 billion USD and if the project is completed, it will transfer 1,300 megawatts of power from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan through Afghanistan.

Afghanistan will get 300 megawatts of power annually from this project and at least $50 million USD as transit rights per annum.

Taliban Chief Hibatullah Akhundzada Sends Message of Peace To President Donald Trump

[I can find nothing disrespectful, or provocative in the following letter from Taliban Chief to American President Trump, but I will probably receive some kind of heat for allegedly “spreading terrorism”, because of this posting.  I was recently banned from YouTube for similar reasons, for older posts featuring Pak. Taliban berating other Taliban, or for spreading their anti-Army messages. 
Hibatullah Akhundzada is a preacher from a family of preachers, doing what is best for his countrymen has to be important to him.  He is offering an apparent solution to the Afghan enigma, albeit one which returns the Taliban to power in country.  Since American forces have not been able to pacify the country in 16 years, then perhaps it is inevitable that the Afghan status quo will return to its pre-Sept11 condition.
At least I deleted the image of the Taliban flag which accompanied their Trump message.]

Open letter of Islamic Emirate to the

American President Donald Trump

 

 

To Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America

 

Peace be upon those who follow the guidance!

Your forces have spent 16 years in our country Afghanistan and have used every means to win this war. Despite the fact that the former administration officials created a large coalition to attack our country, your 16 year military presence in Afghanistan has resulted in Afghanistan becoming the most unstable country security wise, the most corrupt administrative wise and the poorest country economically.

The reason behind all this is because foreign invasion is being used to subdue the will of our proud Afghan nation, our national integrity is stripped and keys to power have been handed to individuals who are the most repulsive, wretched and hated faces in the Afghan society due to their servitude to foreigners.

President Trump!

It is entirely possible that you are being provided rosy pictures about Afghanistan by the stooges you have installed and they are showering you will titles ‘allies of the Afghans’ in their ceremonial addresses but understand that the Afghans possess sound intellect . They judge you by the results of your 16 year presence in Afghanistan and not by the slogans of the lying corrupt rulers under your control.

You must realize that these repulsive sellouts neither care about your interests nor that of their own nation, rather the only thing they hold dear is retaining their seat of power and securing their personal interests.

They are not solely subservient to you either but will eagerly be the puppet of any foreign backer to retain their illegitimate grip on power. Even in the current government that you have built, they maintain illicit contacts with tens of other foreign powers.

President of America!

The government which you tried to establish over the past 16 years by spending billions of dollars, sacrificing thousands of soldiers and losing tens of thousands to injuries and mental illness is in a condition where its leader cannot accept his own deputy. You are witnessing that at this very moment the First Vice President – the war criminal and warlord – General Dostum is creating an opposition coalition outside the country against Ashraf Ghani, provincial governors have begun rising against him and Members of Parliament are demanding his resignation.

President Trump!

If you glance over history you will come to know that the Afghans have done you the biggest favor internationally. They rescued you and the entire world from the Red Communist Plague with their immeasurable sacrifices. Do you wish to repay this historical favor of the valiant Afghan nation by forcing upon them such incompetent, corrupt, immoral and criminal officials?

A sound mind and healthy conscience dictates that the monumental actions and international favor of this persecuted nation should be repaid by dealing and interacting with them generously and not through invasions, throwing them into the fire of imposed wars, trampling upon their religious and national values and installing the most corrupt officials as custodians of their affairs.

President of America!

Your previous officials decided to invade Afghanistan without weighing its consequences. They occupied Afghanistan under irrational arguments which had nothing to do with the Afghans. The Afghans who rose against your forces in defense of their land, creed and people did so as a legitimate struggle that is why the fully armed forces of 48 nations under your leadership were unable to pacify and eliminate them.

The Afghans have no ill-intention towards the Americans or any other nation around the world but if anyone violates their sanctums then they are mighty proficient at beating and defeating the transgressors.

The religious and national struggle of our people is not some illegitimate or proxy war rather it takes root from a pure spiritual and national fervor. Your intelligence agencies admit that our Mujahideen are not being supported by any country and neither can they produce any proof in the contrary. After repeated invasions, our nation understands well how to wage long wars with invaders and force them out of their homeland with their traditional weapons and equipment paired with towering resolve and zeal.

Mr. President!

American youth are not born to be killed in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan in order to establish the writ of thieves and corrupt officials and neither would their parents approve of them killing civilians in Afghanistan. Rather you and American officials have the grave responsibility of protecting the lives of American youth which is your indispensable human resource. It seems to be a historical mistake on part of the previous administrations to have dispatched American youth for the slaughter of Afghans however as a responsible American President, you need to study the mistakes of your predecessors and prevent death and injury to American forces in Afghanistan.

Generals are concealing the real statistics of your dead and crippled however the Afghans can easily count the coffins being sent your way on a daily basis

President Trump!

We have noticed that you have understood the errors of your predecessors and have resolved to thoroughly rethinking your new strategy in Afghanistan. A number of warmongering congressmen and Generals in Afghanistan are pressing you to protract the war in Afghanistan because they seek to preserve their military privileges but instead you must act responsibly as the fate of many Americans and Afghans alike is tied to this issue and as is often said ‘War is imperative politics which cannot be left alone to the whims of fighters’. You must also not handover the Afghan issue to warmongering Generals but must make a decision where history shall remember you as an advocate of peace.

The war situation in Afghanistan is far worse than you realize! You are witnessing that Mujahideen are wresting control of several districts from the corrupt regime in a one week span and are seizing so much equipment that they can continue fighting for a long time. They can easily take control of all major highways of the country and if it were not for fear of civilian casualties, they would conquer many provincial capitals currently under sieges.

Here every Afghan views your soldiers as invaders and transgressors and even the soldiers who you spend a lot of treasure upon frequently open fire on your troops with the same weapon you have provided. Here every parent teaches his offspring about emancipating his country from invaders. In a land where every child is raised with a spirit of vengeance and holds the historic honor of defeating three Empires before you, how will you achieve a stable condition for permanent presence?

President of America!

Everyone now understands that the main driver of war in Afghanistan is foreign occupation. The fire of war has been lit due to foreign occupation and everyone is utilizing these war conditions for their self-interests. If there was no war here, a responsible assertive government could have prevented anarchy and lawlessness. You have understood through your experience in the Middle East that kindling the fire of war is not in the interest of any country around the world.

Previous experiences have shown that sending more troops to Afghanistan will not result in anything other than further destruction of American military and economical might therefore it would be wise if you adopt the strategy of a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan instead of a troops increase. On the one hand, this strategy will truly deliver American troops from harm’s way and on the other, it will bring to an end an inherited war by rectifying the mistakes of former American officials.

Final Words

President of the United States! The uprising of the people of Afghanistan under the leadership of Islamic Emirate is an organized and accountable national, political and regional military force which has prevented many calamities from taking root. If it were not for the responsible policies and organized movement of the Islamic Emirate, such disorder would arise that its flames shall reach the neighbors, region and the entire world. If someone were to understand this reality, they would truly consider the Islamic Emirate as mercy for Afghanistan, region and the world because the Islamic Emirate does not have any intention or policy of causing harm to anyone and neither will it allow others to use the Afghan soil against anyone. It would be a grave mistake on your part to force the Afghan Muslim nation – who have so far fought you with their meager tools – to reach out to your foes in order to gain their independence and free themselves from your oppression. Therefore it would be better for you to understand the realities as a responsible President of the United States and then make decisions based upon them. And understand this with an open heart that if you failed to win the Afghan war with professional US and NATO troops, advanced technology, experienced military Generals, consecutive strategies and mighty economy, you shall never be able to win it with mercenaries, notorious contractor firms and immoral stooges.

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

23/11/1438 Hijri Lunar

24/05/1396 Hijri Solar               15/08/2017 Gregorian