India signals commitment to Chahabar despite Taliban shadow
India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar says Iran’s Chabahar Port has emerged as a commercial transit hub for the region.
His country has been developing a part of Chabahar on Iran’s southeastern coast along the Sea of Oman in order to expand trade with Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asian nations.
Jaishankar put it the other way around, saying the port is a “more economical and stable route” for landlocked countries to reach India and the global market.
His remarks in reply to the lower house of parliament, Lok Sabha, indicated India’s continuing commitment to the port despite speculation about its viability following the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in mid-August, English-language daily the Hindustan Times said.
“The Chabahar Port has provided much needed sea-access to landlocked Afghanistan. The port has also emerged as a commercial transit hub for the region. It is a more economical and stable route for landlocked countries of the region to reach India and the global market,” he said.
According to the paper, Chabahar facilitated the delivery of humanitarian assistance, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
India used it to ship 75,000 tonnes of wheat as food assistance to Afghanistan in 2020, it said. So far, 110,000 tonnes of wheat and 2,000 tonnes of pulses have been trans-shipped from India to Afghanistan.
India is developing two berths at the Shahid Beheshti Port of Chabahar with a total capital investment of $85 million and will operate them on a 10-year lease.
It took over operations at the port from December 24, 2018. Since then, the country has handled 160 vessels, 14,420 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of cargo and 3.2 million tonnes of bulk and general cargo, the Hindustan Times reported.
Iran is not satisfied, however. Last month, its Ambassador to New Delhi, Ali Chegeni, said there is “not enough activity” from the Indian side to complete the project.
“Chabahar, on paper, is not covered by the US’ illegal sanctions,” he said, but India is probably still scared of “third parties” to invest and work in the port.
ME
