Indian propaganda has been aimed at creating an impression that Afghanistan was highly unhappy with Pakistan and it is willing to join hands with India to move its shipments through Chabahar port. India also tried to pass on the message to Central Asian countries that the the port, located in warm waters, and the road and rail network being constructed would become a gateway for them to the rest of world. There are regular news being bashed about Iranian, Afghani and Indian cooperation.
However, one of the news quoting Iranian authorities has
opened the Pandora box and unleashed the disinformation being spread by India. In
a meeting, Hassan Nourian, Iran’s Consul General in India opened the Pandora
box and exposed the extent of cooperation being extended by India.
Being a seasoned diplomat, Nourian expressed hope that India
would act fast on the Chabahar port, which it had promised to build as far back
as 2003. The message in between the lines was loud and clear that Iranians were
upset with Indian attitude.
India’s exasperatingly slow progress in building the port —
11 years on, work has not even begun — has been a major source of irritation
for the Iranians. After all, they gave the project to India rejecting a Chinese
offer. Since then Chinese have finished building Gwadar port in Pakistan that
is located 70 kilometers east of Chabahar.
It seems that Iranians have realized, though very late, the
reason why India wanted the project — to thwart the Chinese. It has also become
evident why the India is dragging its feet — for fear of annoying the US. For
Iran, Chabahar port is of great economic importance and its great economic and
strategic significance is also known to India. The port has the potential to
open a route that leads to Afghanistan, a lucrative market today, and beyond,
to the mineral-rich countries such as Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
As Iran is annoyed there emerges an opportunity for China,
which is one of the biggest buyers of Iranian oil, seeking a port outside
Strait of Hurmaz. India has also realized that the game is slipping out of its
hands. If India loses Chabahar to the Chinese, it would greatly undermine much
talked about Indian supremacy in the Indian Ocean.
Sri Lanka offered the Humbantota port development project to
India, twice. The tsunami-ravaged port was in President Rajapaksa’s
constituency and he was keen on re-building it. While India dithered, China
jumped in. Humbantota has developed into a fine port. India ceded a key
strategic space in its own backyard to China. No one could be blamed except India
because UPA partner DMK didn’t let India do any development work in Sri Lanka. Now,
Chabahar is going the Humbantota way.
While India drags its feet in Myanmar, China is moving in
fast. While India (in fact, NHPC) dumped the two hydro-electric projects terming
those “too expensive”, China is going ahead with as many as 33 projects. The port
of Sittwe is critically important for India, for it would open up the North
East. India did secure the project — it was given to the Essar Group. There
have been delays, but the work is on. However, the project is only a part of
what India had committed to doing, which was to build the entire multi-modal
transport corridor — the Kaladan project. For parts of the project other than
the port, even the tenders have not been floated.
Place after place in India’s neighborhood, including
Afghanistan are slipping out of its dominance and going under Chinese
influence. It is only because of dichotomy of Indian policies, it on one hand
tries to extract all the possible benefits by making false promises and on the
other hand desert those projects once United States and Russia enhance
aid/assistance that helps in achieving the status of regional super power and
creating its hegemony in South Asia.
