Dozens of youths attended a street concert in Herat to welcome the inauguration of the work on the Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI) pipeline project.
Part of the pipeline will pass through Herat province in the west of Afghanistan.
The youths meanwhile danced, sang and smiled at the concert which allowed them to forget the hardships going on in the country but all said they hope for a better future for war-hit Afghanistan.
The concert was held outside Herat cinema hall on Monday evening.
“We accept that the security situation is not good, but this should not prevent us from celebrating the infrastructure projects,” Juma Gul, a resident of Herat said.
The residents said unemployment and poverty are the main reasons behind murders and armed robberies which have increased in Herat.
“I hope that TAPI project will strengthen the relationships between the stakeholder countries besides its economic benefits,” Herat resident Jamshid Frogh said.
The concert lasted for about thirty minutes and was held under tight security.
Herat officials and residents, and some local singers, have in recent times been threatened by some groups and told to avoid concerts in the province.