Chabahar Port: India Losing Against China – OpEd

[Mr.S.Singh]

Kabul keen on transit deal with Iran, India: Envoy
The Afghan Ambassador to New Delhi says his country is keen on inking a trilateral agreement with Iran and India to facilitate the transit of commodities between Afghanistan and India via Iran’s Chabahar Port.
“ We are expecting the Chabahar transitory agreement to be signed between Afghanistan, India and Iran in the near future, that will help the trade volume go higher and higher,” Shaida Mohammad Abdali said.

Iran’s southern Chabahar Port provides a short route for the transportation of goods between the two countries.

“We are expecting an alternative trade route to Afghanistan which will be sustainable and long term, that is the Chabahar port,” he added.

The port is already connected to the city of Zaranj in Afghanistan’s southwestern province of Nimruz and can serve as India’s entry point to Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond.

Indian Ambassador to Kabul Amar Sinha had also stressed the significance of Chabahar Port for the transportation of Indian goods to Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan and India have already agreed on a draft on the transition that they would use through Iran, the Chabahar Port. We have shared that draft with Iran and are expecting the Iranians to reply very shortly,” Abdali said.

He further said the trade between the two countries will see a dramatic rise when the port is used for transit.

“I am sure once the port comes into operation in full swing, we can look at increasing the $600 million trade to $5 billion in maximum 5 years,” he added.

The Afghan ambassador had earlier welcomed the trilateral transit agreement on Iran’s southeastern port, which is meant to provide a route for trade with landlocked Afghanistan.

Chabahar port — located 72 kilometers (44 miles) west of Pakistan’s Gwadar port — holds immense strategic and economic significance for India.


Kabul keen on transit deal with Iran, India: Envoy​

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Would be great for the region if you guys stole Chabahar away from the Indians. It would also bring Pakistan and Iran closer together maybe even build a link between Gwadar and Chabahar once both are completed.

America will do everything to stop that from happening, using their influence with Iranian politicial insiders. Even though they already succeeded in sanctioning Iran into giving up all their enriched uranium.

They won't even let India develop it, let alone an economic and strategic rival like us.

 

[American Pakistani]

I believe that Pakistan will accept if India can come with an interesting offer.

@Chinese-Dragon

India have nothing to offer for Pakistan. Plus India cannot be trusted unless they pull out from IOK/Maqbooza Kashmir.

Chinese people need to understand Indians more better. Indians are ultra hyper nationalistic people, they are neither friends of Russia's, nor USA's & not China's too...They can ditch Russia(who help them in 48,71 wars) when their interests converge with West & they can ditch Israel(who helped them in 99 war) in order to keep their oil inflow & labor migration to Middle East intact.

 

[KingMamba]

America will do everything to stop that from happening, using their influence with Iranian politicial insiders. Even though they already succeeded in sanctioning Iran into giving up all their enriched uranium.

They won't even let India develop it, let alone an economic and strategic rival like us.

All their uranium?? You have a source for that?

Well I don't think China will ask for permission if your leadership decides to swoop in.

 

[Mr.S.Singh]

For those who think Chabahar was a sleeping beauty

Until 2012, India ceased construction of the Chabahar port under pressure from the United States as part of Washington’s efforts toughen the international sanctions against Iran. However, when a Chinese stateowned firm took over administration of the Gwadar port from a Singaporean company in 2012, New Delhi resumed construction of the Chabahar port, overriding Washington’s objections. Whereas the original Chabahar port project and transit corridors involved a trilateral agreement between Iran, India and Russia, the Indian- led 2012 resumption of the project involves the participation of 11 additional countries from Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Europe, each lured by the benefits of easier access to the Indian Ocean.

New Delhi’s INSTC includes a highway running from the Iranian port through Afghanistan. In addition to India’s $100m. investment in Chabahar, New Delhi has already completed a 200 km road from the Iranian bordertown of Zaranj to Delaram in Afghanistan. India has also assisted in the construction of the Iranian portion of the highway from Chabahar to Zaranj. India is also planning to build a parallel 900 km railway from Chabahar to the iron-ore rich Hajigak region of Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province. Home to the oppressed Shi’ite Hazara ethnic group, Bamiyan’s substantial iron deposits may become a major source of income for the Iranian sympathetic population. The Chabahar port will serve as a cost-effective outlet to bring the iron to market (The Telegraph, November 2, 2011).

Iran’s Chabahar port transforms its position | JPost | Israel News

 

[KingMamba]

India have nothing to offer for Pakistan. Plus India cannot be trusted unless they pull out from IOK/Maqbooza Kashmir.

Pulling out of IOK is all India can offer Pakistan that would switch Pakistan from anti-India to pro-India nearly overnight, other than that they can throw some crumbs at Nawaz but the people would revolt if he got too friendly without a solution to IOK.

For those who think Chabahar was a sleeping beauty

Until 2012, India ceased construction of the Chabahar port under pressure from the United States as part of Washington’s efforts toughen the international sanctions against Iran. However, when a Chinese stateowned firm took over administration of the Gwadar port from a Singaporean company in 2012, New Delhi resumed construction of the Chabahar port, overriding Washington’s objections. Whereas the original Chabahar port project and transit corridors involved a trilateral agreement between Iran, India and Russia, the Indian- led 2012 resumption of the project involves the participation of 11 additional countries from Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Europe, each lured by the benefits of easier access to the Indian Ocean.

New Delhi’s INSTC includes a highway running from the Iranian port through Afghanistan. In addition to India’s $100m. investment in Chabahar, New Delhi has already completed a 200 km road from the Iranian bordertown of Zaranj to Delaram in Afghanistan. India has also assisted in the construction of the Iranian portion of the highway from Chabahar to Zaranj. India is also planning to build a parallel 900 km railway from Chabahar to the iron-ore rich Hajigak region of Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province. Home to the oppressed Shi’ite Hazara ethnic group, Bamiyan’s substantial iron deposits may become a major source of income for the Iranian sympathetic population. The Chabahar port will serve as a cost-effective outlet to bring the iron to market (The Telegraph, November 2, 2011).

Iran’s Chabahar port transforms its position | JPost | Israel News

Yeah and that was in 2012, so what progress has been made to show us?

 

[halupridol]

@Chinese-Dragon

India have nothing to offer for Pakistan. Plus India cannot be trusted unless they pull out from IOK/Maqbooza Kashmir.

Chinese people need to understand Indians more better. Indians are ultra hyper nationalistic people, they are neither friends of Russia's, nor USA's & not China's too...They can ditch Russia(who help them in 48,71 wars) when their interests converge with West & they can ditch Israel(who helped them in 99 war) in order to keep their oil inflow & labor migration to Middle East intact.

thats like a compliment to the Indian diplomacy
even @Chinese-Dragon will agree..

 

[Mr.S.Singh]

I believe that Pakistan will accept if India can come with an interesting offer. Beside Gwadar, there is alot projects in Sri-Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh that both China-India can cooperate such as the finished gaz pipeline connecting Myanmar port to Kunming which India is also a parner.

Less likely, Pakistan has constantly blocked India access to central asia, hence Chabahar happened
As far as Gas pipe line, IPI talks broke-down
Russia has approached India for a pipeline which will go throw china, lets see where does that go through

 

[Sam.]

I don't know much about the history of Indo-pakistan cooperation, can you gave us some examples of the failure? I only know the knifes throwing each other in this forum.

Brother we had same cooperation with them like Nepal and we had free border agreement till 1965 when they attacked.

Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained by a number of historical and political issues, and are defined by the violent partition of British India in 1947, the Kashmir dispute and the numerous military conflicts fought between the two nations. Consequently, even though the two South Asian nations share historic, cultural, ethnic, geographic, and economic links, their relationship has been plagued by hostility and suspicion.

After the dissolution of the British Raj in 1947, two new sovereign nations were formed—the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The subsequent partition of the former British India displaced up to 12.5 million people, with estimates of loss of life varying from several hundred thousand to 1 million.[1] India emerged as a secular nation with a Hindu majority population and a large Muslim minority whilePakistan was established as an Islamic republic with an overwhelming Muslim majority population.[2][3]

Soon after their independence, India and Pakistan established diplomatic relations but the violent partition and numerous territorial disputes would overshadow their relationship. Since their independence, the two countries have fought three major wars, oneundeclared war and have been involved in numerous armed skirmishes and military standoffs. The Kashmir dispute is the main centre-point of all of these conflicts with the exception of the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 and Bangladesh Liberation War, which resulted in the secession of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

There have been numerous attempts to improve the relationship—notably, the Shimla summit, the Agra summit and the Lahore summit. Since the early 1980s, relations between the two nations soured particularly after the Siachen conflict, the intensification of Kashmir insurgency in 1989, Indian and Pakistani nuclear tests in 1998 and the 1999 Kargil war. Certain confidence-building measures — such as the 2003 ceasefire agreement and the Delhi–Lahore Bus service – were successful in deescalating tensions. However, these efforts have been impeded by periodic terrorist attacks. The 2001 Indian Parliament attack almost brought the two nations to the brink of a nuclear war. The 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings, which killed 68 civilians (most of whom were Pakistani), was also a crucial point in relations. Additionally, the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by Pakistani militants[4] resulted in a severe blow to the ongoing India-Pakistan peace talks.

According to a 2013 BBC World Service Poll, 11% of Indians view Pakistan's influence positively, with 45% expressing a negative view, while 19% of Pakistanis view India's influence positively, with 54% expressing a negative view.[5] Since the election of new government in Pakistan in mid-2013, significant steps are being taken to improve relations, in particular the consensus on the agreement of Non-Discriminatory Market Access on Reciprocal Basis (NDMARB) status for each other, which will liberalize trade.[6]

Also they claim Kashmir on the bases of Muslim majority which we have the Instrument of Accession to the Union of India signed on 26 October 1947, and accepted the following day.

Kashmir conflict

Spoiler

Kashmir was a Muslim-majority princely state, ruled by a Hindu[10] king, Maharaja Hari Singh. At the time of the partition of India, Maharaja Hari Singh, the ruler of the state, preferred to remain independent and did not want to join either the Union of India or the Dominion of Pakistan. He wanted both India and Pakistan to recognise his princely state as an independent neutral country like Switzerland.[11] He wanted to make his state the Switzerland of the East since the population of the state depended on tourism and persons from all regions could come to an independent Jammu and Kashmir with ease. For this reason, he offered a standstill agreement (for maintaining the status quo) to both India and Pakistan. India refused the offer but Pakistan accepted it.

Despite the standstill agreement, team of Pakistani forces were dispatched into Kashmir. Backed by Pakistani paramilitary forces, Pashtun Mehsud tribals[12] invaded Kashmir in October 1947 under the code name "Operation Gulmarg" to seize Kashmir. They reached and captured Baramulla on 25 October. Instead of moving on to Srinagar just 50 km away and capturing its undefended airfield, they stayed there for several days. Kashmir's security forces turned out to be too weak and ill-equipped to fight against Pakistan. Fearing that this invasion would bring about an accession to Pakistan, the Maharaja now turned to India and requested India for troops to safeguard Kashmir. Indian Prime Minister Nehru was ready to send the troops, but the acting Governor General of India, Lord Mountbatten of Burma, advised the Maharaja to accede to India before India could send its troops. Hence, considering the emergent situation he signed the instrument of accession to the Union of India on 26 October 1947 (see the two-page document's photo below).

Charles Chevenix Trench writes in his 'The Frontier Scouts' (1985):

In October 1947... tribal lashkars hastened in lorries - undoubtedly with official logistic support - into Kashmir... at least one British Officer, Harvey-Kelly took part in the campaign. It seemed that nothing could stop these hordes of tribesmen taking Srinagar with its vital airfield. Indeed nothing did, but their own greed. The Mahsuds in particular stopped to loot, rape and murder; Indian troops were flown in and the lashkars pushed out of the Vale of Kashmir into the mountains. The Mahsuds returned home in a savage mood, having muffed an easy chance, lost the loot of Srinagar and made fools of themselves.

In the words of Gen Mohammad Akbar Khan (Brigadier-in-Charge, Pakistan, in his book "War for Kashmir in 1947"): "The uncouth raiders delayed in Baramulla for two (whole) days for some unknown reason."[13]

While the invading Pakistanis spread across the State and looted Baramulla town just 50 km from the state capital, Srinagar, for several days starting 25 October 1947, the Maharaja signed Instrument of Accession to the Dominion of India on 26 October 1947. Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah had already reached Delhi a day earlier on 25 October to persuade Nehru to send troops. He made no secret of the danger the State faced and asked Nehru to lose no time in accepting the accession and ensuring the speedy dispatch of Indian troops to the State. (Sheikh Abdullah corroborates this account in his Aatish e Chinaar (at pages 416 and 417) and records (at page 417) that V.P. Menon returned to Delhi on 26 October with signed Instrument of accession.)[14] These are photos of the two-page Instrument of Accession.



The Instrument of Accession to the Union of India signed on 26 October 1947, and accepted the following day.


Page 2, Instrument of Accession, with signatures of Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir, and Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, Governor-General of India.
The Instrument was accepted by the Governor-General of India the next day, 27 October 1947. With this signing by the Maharaja and acceptance by the Governor-General, the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir became a part of Dominion of India as per the Indian Independence Act 1947 passed by the British parliament.

By this time the raiders were close to the capital, Srinagar. Indian troops were airlifted from Delhi, landed at Srinagar airport in Kashmir on 27 October 1947 and secured the airport before proceeding to evict the invaders from Kashmir valley.

The Indian troops managed to evict the aggressors from parts of Kashmir but the onset of winter made much of the state impassable. After weeks of intense fighting between Pakistan and India, Pakistani leaders and the Indian Prime Minister Nehru declared a ceasefire and sought U.N. arbitration with the promise of a plebiscite. Sardar Patel had argued against both, describing Kashmir as a bilateral dispute and its accession as justified by international law.

In 1957, north-western Kashmir was fully integrated into Pakistan, becoming Azad Kashmir (Pakistan-administered Kashmir). In 1962, China occupied Aksai Chin, the northeastern region bordering Ladakh. In 1984, India launched Operation Meghdoot and captured more than 80% of the Siachen Glacier.

Pakistan now maintains Kashmiris' right to self-determination through a plebiscite and the promised plebiscite should be allowed to decide the fate of the Kashmiri people. India on the other hand asserts that with the Maharaja's signing the instrument of accession, Kashmir has become an integral part of India. Elections in the state to the state legislature and the national parliament have also led to no separatist or secessionist ever being elected, reflecting the will of the people of the state.

Due to all such political differences, this dispute has been the subject of wars between the two countries in 1947 and 1965, and a limited conflict in 1999. The state remains divided between the two countries by the Line of Control (LoC), which demarcates the ceasefire line agreed upon in the 1947 conflict modified in 1972 as per Simla Agreement.

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

Would be great for the region if you guys stole Chabahar away from the Indians. It would also bring Pakistan and Iran closer together maybe even build a link between Gwadar and Chabahar once both are completed.

I think four countries (Paikstan, Iran, India,China) can work toghter since we're all for posperity of the region , everyone will have a fair share of the business development, by connecting Gwadar to Chabahar instead of competiting each other, both can complemented each other...less problem for four nations mean more business development ...not bad idea at all

 

[Mr.S.Singh]

Yeah and that was in 2012, so what progress has been made to show us?

Narinder modi has released more 550 crore funds to upgrade the port
Narendra Modi government puts Iran's Chabahar port work on fast track - Economic Times

Inland road from Afghanistan is almost complete, India supplies all its equipment to afghanistan through Chabarah

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

All their uranium?? You have a source for that?

Well I don't think China will ask for permission if your leadership decides to swoop in.

BBC News - Iran completes process of eliminating enriched uranium

Iran has turned all of its enriched uranium closest to the level needed to make nuclear arms into more harmless forms, the UN nuclear agency says.

All of their enriched uranium. America didn't care about the rest.

Well I don't think China will ask for permission if your leadership decides to swoop in.

America likes to delay our projects in sensitive regions, by using their massive political influence within the country itself.

Look at how fast we can build things in China once it has been cleared, sometimes if I haven't visited an area in a few months, I come back later and see multiple new skyscrapers that were not there before.

But when it comes to anything regarding Iran or Pakistan or Afghanistan (that entire region) then America uses their influence to slow it down as much as they can.

Check the article in the OP, the whole reason India's development of Chabar is going so slow, is because of American pressure. Gwadar is also facing similar problems, if it was a port in China it would have been done a long time ago. But if there are political roadblocks, what can we do? We can't give political clearance ourselves, that is not our jurisdiction.

 

[Sam.]

I think four countries (Paikstan, Iran, India,China) can work toghter since we're all for posperity of the region , everyone will have a fair share of the business development, by connecting Gwadar to Chabahar instead of competiting each other, both can complemented each other...less problem for four nations mean more business development ...not bad idea at all

Chabahar Port: India Losing Against China – OpEd | Page 2

It doesn't matter to pakistan what china want.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

@Chinese-Dragon

India have nothing to offer for Pakistan. Plus India cannot be trusted unless they pull out from IOK/Maqbooza Kashmir.

Chinese people need to understand Indians more better. Indians are ultra hyper nationalistic people, they are neither friends of Russia's, nor USA's & not China's too...They can ditch Russia(who help them in 48,71 wars) when their interests converge with West & they can ditch Israel(who helped them in 99 war) in order to keep their oil inflow & labor migration to Middle East intact.

thats like a compliment to the Indian diplomacy
even @Chinese-Dragon will agree..

International politics is all about interests. Not trust.

For example, our two biggest trading partners are America and Japan. That's nothing to do with trust, and everything to do with business interests.

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

America will do everything to stop that from happening, using their influence with Iranian politicial insiders. Even though they already succeeded in sanctioning Iran into giving up all their enriched uranium.

They won't even let India develop it, let alone an economic and strategic rival like us.

If the commitments and interests of these four nations (Pakistan, Iran, India and China) are stronger than their differences than nothing US can do about beside regime change to one of these countries which is unlikely....first Pakistan and India have to get alone before any honeymoon can start.