Hekmatyar Warns Taliban Energy Deal to Turn Afghanistan into Regional Battleground
DID Press: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Hizb-e Islami Afghanistan, criticized a recent energy agreement between the Taliban authorities and a Saudi company, warning that awarding strategic projects without a legally recognized government with broad national support may expose Afghanistan to renewed regional competition and proxy conflicts.
In an article focusing on Afghanistan’s energy contracts, Hekmatyar argued that the implications of the agreement extend beyond economic considerations and could have significant political and security consequences.
Hekmatyar said major energy companies are more likely to gain access to strategic resources and projects in countries where political and legal institutions are weak. He claimed that under such circumstances, powerful individuals can be brought into the process, creating opportunities to secure contracts that could not previously have been obtained through political, military or financial means.
Hizb-e Islami leader warned that major energy projects could once again expose Afghanistan to regional power struggles and proxy conflicts. He argued that competing regional powers would not remain indifferent to developments involving strategic energy projects.
A central theme of Hekmatyar’s article was competition over energy transit routes from Central Asia. He identified Russia as an opponent of plans to transport Central Asian oil and gas through Afghanistan toward South Asia, arguing that Moscow would seek to preserve its historic influence over the region’s energy export routes.
Hekmatyar also highlighted Iran’s position, describing Tehran as another significant opponent of such projects. He argued that transporting Central Asian energy through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India could affect Iran’s economic and geopolitical interests.
Former Afghan political leader also referred to earlier efforts to develop gas transit projects through Afghanistan, including those involving Unocal and Delta. Drawing comparisons with previous decades, he argued that Afghanistan’s energy projects should not proceed without transparent competition among companies and an agreement involving a political structure with national legitimacy.
Hekmatyar also linked his concerns to Afghanistan’s current political situation. He described the Taliban as a group rather than a representative national government, arguing that the de facto authorities in Kabul operate without a constitution and representative national institutions. On that basis, he said decisions concerning national resources and assets should not rest solely with one group.
The article further examined broader regional dynamics involving Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Pakistan and Iran. Referring to developments in Yemen and the Red Sea, as well as visits by Qatari and Turkish security officials to Kabul, Hekmatyar suggested that regional countries may seek to influence the Taliban’s foreign-policy direction.
He questioned whether the Taliban would maintain its cooperation with Iran or move toward closer relations with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia in response to regional developments. He also expressed concern about Afghanistan’s potential role in wider geopolitical competition.
Hekmatyar concluded by referring to Afghanistan’s history of conflict and warning against repeating patterns that had contributed to previous periods of widespread violence. He called for major agreements involving the country’s natural resources and national interests to be conducted through transparent mechanisms, open competition among companies and the participation of a political structure with broad national legitimacy.