India complete Afghan-Iran Road: Strategic Advantage against pak

[GHATAK]

India accomplishes Afghan road mission
- Strategic highway survives Pakistan scare and Kabul embassy blast
NISHIT DHOLABHAI

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Malathi Rao, the wife of IFS officer VV Rao who was killed in the Kabul blast, last week
New Delhi, July 15: India has braved the 7/7 Kabul embassy blast and held on to complete the strategic Afghanistan road linking Zaranj on the Iran border to Delaram in its north-east.

The 218-km road, which will loosen Pakistan’s stranglehold on its land-locked neighbour by allowing Afghanistan access to the sea from the Iran side, is likely to be declared completed on Thursday, sources said.

Security agencies see the success of this project, funded and executed by Delhi, as a reason for the car-bomb attack on the Kabul embassy that killed four Indians. They allege Pakistan set off the blast as it is uneasy about the edge India will now have in the central Asian power game.

The blast victims were today nominated for the Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime military award, according to a PTI report. The names of the four — IFS officer V.V. Rao, defence attache R.D. Mehta and ITBP jawans Roop Singh and Ajai Pathania — have been forwarded by the defence ministry to the department concerned. If approved, it will be the first time an IFS officer will be given the military award for bravery.

The completion of the road by the Border Roads Organisation will also be an enduring tribute to the four, described as “martyrs” by Indian officials.


Sources said the road, which required the services of four companies of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police to guard the construction workers, will be dedicated to the Afghan people. The 400-odd ITBP officers are likely to return home.

The road is a godsend for Afghanistan as it will now be able to access the Iranian port of Chabahar. The time taken to reach the sea will be much less than that taken via the Pakistan route as Delaram is on the Kandahar-Herat road.

This will not only increase the volume of Afghan trade, it will facilitate the transit of Indian goods to that country. Pakistan can no longer play difficult and refuse permission to ferry goods through their territory.

In 2003, India, Iran and Afghanistan had signed an MoU to improve Kabul’s access to the coast. While Iran was to build a transit route to link Milak in its south-east to Zaranj in Afghanistan, India was to construct the Zaranj-Delaram road.

Proposals are being worked out on additional manpower requirements at consulates in Jalalabad and Kandahar where security will be beefed up. India also has consulates in Mazar-e-sharif and Herat.

 

[Cheetah786]

India accomplishes Afghan road mission
- Strategic highway survives Pakistan scare and Kabul embassy blast
NISHIT DHOLABHAI

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Malathi Rao, the wife of IFS officer VV Rao who was killed in the Kabul blast, last week
New Delhi, July 15: India has braved the 7/7 Kabul embassy blast and held on to complete the strategic Afghanistan road linking Zaranj on the Iran border to Delaram in its north-east.

The 218-km road, which will loosen Pakistan’s stranglehold on its land-locked neighbour by allowing Afghanistan access to the sea from the Iran side, is likely to be declared completed on Thursday, sources said.

Security agencies see the success of this project, funded and executed by Delhi, as a reason for the car-bomb attack on the Kabul embassy that killed four Indians. They allege Pakistan set off the blast as it is uneasy about the edge India will now have in the central Asian power game.

The blast victims were today nominated for the Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime military award, according to a PTI report. The names of the four — IFS officer V.V. Rao, defence attache R.D. Mehta and ITBP jawans Roop Singh and Ajai Pathania — have been forwarded by the defence ministry to the department concerned. If approved, it will be the first time an IFS officer will be given the military award for bravery.

The completion of the road by the Border Roads Organisation will also be an enduring tribute to the four, described as “martyrs” by Indian officials.


Sources said the road, which required the services of four companies of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police to guard the construction workers, will be dedicated to the Afghan people. The 400-odd ITBP officers are likely to return home.

The road is a godsend for Afghanistan as it will now be able to access the Iranian port of Chabahar. The time taken to reach the sea will be much less than that taken via the Pakistan route as Delaram is on the Kandahar-Herat road.

This will not only increase the volume of Afghan trade, it will facilitate the transit of Indian goods to that country. Pakistan can no longer play difficult and refuse permission to ferry goods through their territory.

In 2003, India, Iran and Afghanistan had signed an MoU to improve Kabul’s access to the coast. While Iran was to build a transit route to link Milak in its south-east to Zaranj in Afghanistan, India was to construct the Zaranj-Delaram road.

Proposals are being worked out on additional manpower requirements at consulates in Jalalabad and Kandahar where security will be beefed up. India also has consulates in Mazar-e-sharif and Herat.

DAHHHHHHHHHHHH we so stupid we blow up the embassy to stop the road

i am amazed at this construction i mean Indians build it in just few days after the blast.oh wait the construction is been going on for long time and this would have been built regardless if there was an attack on the embassy or not so i forget to see how this blast has any thing to do with construction of the road.

If we really want to stop the road and destroy it have no one in India heard of the thing called road side bombings or blowing up the bridges.what am i saying RAW has mastered that by teaching this to Terrorist in Baluchistan.but hey thats not what we are talking about here are we

Just 1 question who is going to provide security As soon as the Americans leave here for the trade afghan government (i guess part of Kabul may be)India will sent security personal with every truck or trailer or it might be the Iranians that sent all the afghans out of there territory into Afghanistan.all 3 governments much appreciated by PAshtoons.

Just cause a highway is built don't mean jack all as long as the security situation in Afghanistan doesn't improve.and with KArzai in power controlling the lights in his American protected house thats never going to happen.but good news for Pakistan now all the heroin and arms smuggled out of Afghanistan just became Iran and India's problem heyyy there is a light at the end of the tunnel.hamid karzais brother will be there to start the trade with sending out the first truck full of poppy.

 

[GHATAK]

Weak argument.

 

[vish]

Strategic Advantage against Pakistan?

To a certain extent, yes.