Reema Shaukat
CPEC surely disturbed the dreams of those rivals who do not wish to see Pak China friendship prospering and exceling day by day. The Indo-Iran-Afghanistan nexus with focus on Chabahar is to counter CPEC and actually make Indo- Iran connexion stronger. The trilateral meetings between India, Iran and Afghanistan during the visit of PM Modi’s visit to Iran in May 2016 made some crucial decisions for expanding trade routes. It suggested avenues of trade for India with Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and Russia through the International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC).As a prelude to signing of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in April 2015, India strived for completion of Iranian Port in Chabahar. The project started in 2003, but was delayedbecause of international sanctions on Iran and India almost left it. In November 2013, Pakistan handed over the Gwadar Port to Chinese Overseas Ports Holding Company Ltd (COPHCL) for further development and operationalisation. This development instigated India and it started consulting Iranian officials to re-start the left over construction of the Chabahar port project. Chabahar is located approximately 150 km from the Pakistani deep-sea port, Gwadar. In fact, its development by India portrays strategic rivalryfor Gwadar. Chabahar is Iran’s only oceanic port and consists of two separate ports named ‘Shahid Kalantari’ and ‘Shahid Beheshti’, each having five berths and overall 10 berths. India and Iran first agreed upon plans to further develop ‘Shahid Beheshti’ port in 2003, but India was deterred by sanctions against Iran. Under the Indo-Iranian agreement of May 2016, India would refurbish one of the berths at ‘Shahid Beheshti’, and reconstruct a 600-meter long container handling facility at the port. The bilateral agreement between India and Iran gives India the right to develop two berths of the Chabahar port as agreed in 2015, allowing them to be operated for 10 years by India Ports Global, which is a joint venture between Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and Kandla Port Trust, in partnership with Iran’s Aria Banader.Along with the development of Chabahar port, India is also to construct a railway line linking Chabahar with Zahedan on the Iran-Afghanistan border, which beyond Zahedan will be linked to the Iranian Railway running west and then north close to the Iran-Afghanistan border, avoiding the instableHelmand Province of Afghanistan.
Apart from strategic interest of India in the region, Iran and Russia do not lag behind in grabbing their shares. Although Moscow has struggled to bring CARs under its influence because of natural resources and trade market. Similar interests Tehran holds in CARs because of trade routes which if passed through Iran will benefit it more. Both Russia and Iran seem to achieve their goal with the instability in Afghanistan. Kabul administration has proved total failure in restoring peace and stability in Afghanistan. Therefore, looming and prolonged instability in Afghanistan is in interest of both Iran and Russia. India manoeuvring in Chabahar can achieve its purpose of hegemon in region and also India making its contribution in development of Chabahar has relieved Iran of its stress to get CARs ready for transit of their trade goods only through Chabahar. Therefore Iran is not only constructing railway track and metalled roads for its trade with CARs via Turkmenistan but also taking away roads and railway tracks from Afghanistan due to violence which in reality Iran smacked on it.Reports suggest thatIran’s intelligence agencies have tasked special writers and so-called experts to propagate for the Chabahar project. Among these paid work is of Tolo TV whose 90% staff is Shia which has been appointed by Iran in the TV channel. The said TV channel portrays the port in such a way as if Afghanistan would harvest great benefits from it. The Kabul administration is also very active in this regard and defending the projects by resorting to narrative which is a mixture of facts and lies. The Kabul administration is like more loyal than the king in this regard.Few say Chabahar is closer to Afghanistan than Gwadar and Karachi and freight charges would be less and the cargo would reach its destination in shorter time. It is a blatant lie and distortion of facts as in reality Chabaharis farther than Gwadar, Karachi and Wagah. Distances between the trade routes for the preferred markets suggest that by preferring Chabahar, Pakistani market for fruits and agricultural products will be abandoned and problems will come up to export Afghanistan’s fresh fruit to India via Wagah. Chabahar is by no means an alternate route for export of fresh fruit from all provinces of Afghanistan, except few types of fruit, which do not rot that quickly. Iran does not provide space to our fruits and agricultural products in its markets, beside which we are losingour only market in Pakistan and India, which if lost once, will be very difficult to find again. Viable options are that Afghanistan may convince Pakistan to facilitate Kabul in accessing Indian markets via Pakistan. Similarly India should be influencednot to hunt for routes to access CARs other than through Afghanistan.
New Delhi is optimistic that withcompletion of workon the Chabahar Port, there will be greater regional connectivity and India will have superiority over Tehran and Kabul. Certainly, through the operationalization of Chabahar, India and other regional countries will attempt to bring down the significance of Gwadar port. India is already gainingon Chabahar by raising anti Pakistan and anti CPEC slogans. But by research one finds that India and Iran both are using Chabahar for their own benefits and for rest of states, Chabahar is more like a goblet of sweet poison which seems fascinating from distance but toxic in nature.
