For trade & amity
India is silently and steadily ramping up its footprints in West Asia. With Arab monarchies already in its list of close ones, New Delhi has inked a 10-year deal to operate strategically pivotal Chabahar Port. The deal has been finalised after years of meticulous negotiations between two countries and it has come at a time when West Asia is in ferment and India is expanding its geo-strategic wings as a confident world power.
The move underscores India’s strategic interests in bolstering trade links with Central Asia and parts of Europe.
Under the pact, India will manage Chabahar’s Shahid-Beheshti terminal, with a total area of 254 hectares, of which the open storage area is 16 hectares. It has a warehouse spread over 30,000 square metres.
Passage of partnership & humanitarian relief
Chabahar means “four springs” in Persian. The word denotes sprouting of a fountain that showers blessings and well-being. The civilisational links between India and Iran also have similar multi-dimensions that make these countries pals for life. Unlike China’s “expansionist” and “imperialist” moves through development and total control of Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, India’s interests in Chabahar are purely those of a partner. The new pact aims to bring prosperity for both the countries that have endured economic hardships for long.
The agreement is poised to provide stability and encourage investments in the port, addressing concerns among investors and shippers regarding the lack of a secure and long-term arrangement.
But it’s not business alone that weighs on the minds of Indian policy-makers. India’s engagement in Chabahar extends beyond commercial interests. The port will serve as a conduit for humanitarian aid shipments, underscoring India’s commitment to regional development and stability. This multifaceted approach highlights India’s role as a key player in fostering goodwill and connectivity in the region.
Since West Asia is simmering with ever-festering conflicts, the supply of humanitarian assistance through Chabahar will help mitigate the effect of these catastrophes on civilians.
Cross-border trade links
The Chabahar Port, strategically positioned with easy access to India’s west coast, serves as a vital component of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). The INSTC is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode transport project for moving freight among India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
It will connect India to Russia and Central Asia through the INSTC. The port’s development aligns with India’s broader objective of diversifying import routes, enhancing energy security, and asserting its influence in regional geopolitics. Besides bolstering India’s energy footprint, it will put India on the infrastructure map of the region. India has already registered its robust presence in Afghanistan by constructing its most prominent dam and Parliament building.
The port will also pave the way for India into Central Asia. It will be in fact a new “Silk Route”. The collaboration between India and Iran aims to reduce transportation costs and time, opening up new avenues for economic cooperation and infrastructure development along the 7,200 km corridor.
A front to counter China & Pak
The port is also significant as it will be India’s counter to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It is only 72 km away from Gwadar Port that is being solely developed and operated by China.
The Chabahar is located near the Strait of Hormuz and the Indian Ocean. It will serve India if China flexes naval powers in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. It will help India in combating Chinese efforts and their presence in the Arabian Sea.
With Pakistan denying India a direct land route to Afghanistan, the new project will help establish a sea-trade link for India to reach the Afghanistan market and vice-versa, bypassing Pakistan’s Gwadar and Karachi ports.
The Chabahar project assumes great significance for India’s trade ambitions across Central Asia given its opposition to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI, often referred to as another Silk Route, is an extensive multimodal network that would establish China as an influential player in trade across Asia, Europe and Africa. The deep-sea port at Gwadar has been developed as an integral part of this BRI project. India has stayed away from the BRI network given the border skirmishes and trade hostility with its eastern neighbour. It has also repeatedly stated that China’s ambitious corridor undermines India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as it passes through Indian territory occupied by China and Pakistan.
China has also made significant infrastructure investments in Iran in recent years and has been aligning itself closely with Iranian interests due to their shared estrangement from the Western power bloc. With the Chabahar project, India is attempting to deepen its relations with Iran and thereby racing ahead in competition to gain maximum influence in the region.
Threat of US sanctions
As a result of India developing and running Chabahar port, Iran will also become a military ally of India. So, as soon as India and Iran publicly announced the Chabahar deal, the United States reacted with dismay and warned that “Iran sanctions will affect anyone having trade ties with Tehran”.
However, these threats as of now are more rhetoric than reality. India is a key ally of the US in Asia and is being seen as a pivot to blunt Chinese cross-continent ambitions. Plus, India has been charting its own course by balancing ties even between US and Russia and thus it is well-placed to manoeuvre any possible US move against it.
More importantly, India has positioned itself as a facilitator of trade and peace. It has backed immediate dialogues to end conflicts, be it in Gaza or Ukraine. It has not violated any rule of international engagement to pursue commerce and competition. It is a votary of rules-based and equitable world order that takes human civilisation into a new era.
India has sought Chabahar (four seasons of springs) even in times of despair. The US must back this endeavour for prosperity, which will ultimately flower into hope for all stakeholders and open ports of amity: vishwa mitrata (friendship with the world).
The writer is the Community Leader and Chairman of the Muslim Students Organisation of India. Views expressed are personal
