India starts trade route to Afghanistan via Iran

[Firdousi]

India starts trade route to Afghanistan via Iran

India on Sunday shipped its first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan by sea through Iran's strategic Chahbahar Port, launching a trade route bypassing longtime rival Pakistan.

The shipment, an Indian gift for Afghanistan, was sent from the western seaport of Kandla. It will be taken by trucks to Afghanistan from the Iranian port.

The new trade route follows an air freight corridor introduced between India and Afghanistan in June last year to provide greater access for Afghan goods to the Indian market.

In his new Afghanistan strategy unveiled in August, United States President Donald Trump asked India to do more to help Afghanistan's development.

Pakistan currently does not allow India to transport through its territory to Afghanistan because of hostility in their ties.

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday that the shipment marked the convergence among India, Afghanistan, and Iran to spur an unhindered flow of commerce and trade throughout the region.

“I believe that this is the starting point of our journey to realize the full spectrum of connectivity from culture to commerce, from traditions to technology, from investments to Information Technology, from services to strategy and from people to politics,” Swaraj said.

India, Afghanistan, and Iran last year decided to jointly establish a trade route for land-locked Central Asian countries. India committed up to $500 million for the development of the Chahabar Port along with associated roads and rail lines.

[Firdousi]

I believe we are witnessing the beginning of a new age of connectivity, progress, regional integration, economic effervescence and cooperation in Asia. Our region is deeply involved in several projects that will bring all CAR´s, India, China, Russia, Iran, Turkey and some Middle Eastern countries together.

Pakistan should stop being a pain in the a-ss and join the rest of the region in this historical moment.

[ذو الفقار]

Pakistan should stop being a pain in the a-ss and join the rest of the region in this historical moment.

Pakistan is justified in being wary of India expanding its influence into Central Asia. Undoubtedly, RAW was behind financing and arming terrorist groups that attacked Pakistan like TTP and Ahrar, including the 2014 Peshawar school attack, in which 132 Pakistani school children were ruthlessly slaughtered. India was also trying to coordinate activities of the Baluch separatists and terrorists like BLA. The capture of Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav confirms this. So it is true that India is playing a very negative role in the region. Meanwhile, Pakistan, China and even Russia have a vested interest in the failure of the US-backed puppet govt. in Kabul led by the sneaky serpent Ashraf Ghani. Russia is obviously arming the Taliban.

[Firdousi]

Pakistan is justified in being wary of India expanding its influence into Central Asia. Undoubtedly, RAW was behind financing and arming terrorist groups that attacked Pakistan like TTP and Ahrar, including the 2014 Peshawar school attack, in which 132 Pakistani school children were ruthlessly slaughtered. India was also trying to coordinate activities of the Baluch separatists and terrorists like BLA. The capture of Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav confirms this. So it is true that India is playing a very negative role in the region. Meanwhile, Pakistan, China and even Russia have a vested interest in the failure of the US-backed puppet govt. in Kabul led by the sneaky serpent Ashraf Ghani. Russia is obviously arming the Taliban.

Pak government blamed Afghanistan and Afghans for that attack, not India. Thats why a crackdown on Afghans started after that.

[Firdousi]

Chabahar Could Replace Karachi As Country’s Key Port
ACCI said Iran’s Chabahar port might in the near future become the primary sea port for goods being shipped to Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MoCI) on Monday said Chabahar port, in south eastern Iran, could become Afghanistan’s primary sea port as it is only 550km from Afghanistan – opposed to Pakistan’s Karachi port which is over 800km from the country’s closest border.
In addition to this, Chabahar offers special privileges as it is a free trade zone for Afghan traders.
Despite reports indicating that advanced services have not yet been established at Chabahar for loading and off-loading cargo from ships, India nonetheless shipped 15,000 tons of wheat in aid to Afghanistan on Monday to Chabahar.
According to the ministry, the port will play a key role in decreasing transit costs and improving trade volumes between Afghanistan and other countries - especially with Iran, India and Turkey.
“Unloading and loading wheat in Chabahar and transferring it to Afghanistan indicates that capacities have increased in Chabahar and it encourages our traders to start doing business through Chabahar, which is the closest port to us,” said MoCI spokesman Musafir Quqandi.
According to MoCI officials, goods currently being shipped in through Karachi port will in the near future be redirected through Chabahar.
“Chabahar is a better route and in future, it will take the place of Karachi port. But work still needs to be done there. An international airport is needed, infrastructure should be established and we need to build a railway line from there to Afghanistan,” ACCI spokesman Seyam Pesarlay said.
Reaching Karachi port, trucks travel either through Nimroz province - Zaranj city – which is an 872 km journey and takes at least 10 hours by road.
From Nangarhar’s Torkham gate, the distance is over 1,416km and takes trucks 28 hours at least to reach the port.
According to ACCI, the distance is not the only problem, but truck drivers face numerous challenges while on route to Karachi including regular border closures and the need to often pay bribes along the way.
But India has indicated it is prepared to help develop Chabahar especially as it hopes to open up trade routes to Afghanistan and other Central Asian markets.
Currently, Pakistan has the monopoly in terms of trade routes to this region.
“If we can join Afghanistan’s ring road which is from Ghor up to Maimana, it is a good option for Chabahar that will connect the eastern, south-eastern and also the northern and central regions – it will be cheaper and closer,” said university lecturer Nazir Ahmad Najaie.
Concerns however have been raised over the current tensions between Iran and some Western countries and that some of these countries will not ship their goods through Chabahar.