Lately two ports, namely Gawadar and
Chabahar, have emerged on Makran coast that are located at a distance of about
70 kilometers. One is located in Baluchistan province of Pakistan and other is also
situated in Sistan-Baluchistan province of Iran. Both the ports have been
constructed with the stated objective of finding efficient and cost effective
routes to energy-rich Central Asian countries passing through Afghanistan.
The point to be explored is that both
the ports have been constructed by two rivals, China and India, one an accepted
world super power and the other a self-proclaimed regional super power. The
story is not as simple as being narrated because the United States is fully
supporting India in establishing its hegemony in the region by not taking any
action against India for supporting Iran facing economic sanctions for more
than three decades.
Afghan transit trade has been passing
through Pakistan since independence. Arms, ammunition and combat forces also
used this route when USSR attacked Afghanistan and also when the United States
attached Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11. While this route has been used
for supplies for combat forces for more than four decades, the need was felt
for developing another route that could provide easy access to landlocked
countries to ‘warm waters’.
Since the United States could not
construct an alternative rout passing through Iran at its own, it encouraged India
to support Iran, facing economic sanctions for more than three decades, in
building a port outside Strait of Hormuz and link it with Central Asian states via
Afghanistan.
The work on both the ports started
around the same time. While the rulers in Pakistan remained engrossed in ‘war
against terror’ and didn’t raise any objection on Indian involvement in an
Iranian port, India remained critical of Chinese involvement in Gwadar. On
almost every forum India tries to prove that Chinese involvement in Gwadar is a
threat for its (Indian) existence.
The plea taken by India is that Indian
Ocean should remain ‘arms free’. However, navies of almost all the major powers
are present in the area to protect their maritime trade. It is on record that
almost 60% of global maritime trade passes through Indian Ocean. It may not be
wrong to say that in the name of protecting their maritime trade certain countries
have deployed their submarines and aircraft carriers in the Indian Ocean, which
could become a ground for proxy war.
Pakistan has over 1,200 kilometer long coastal
line, which offers the country opportunities to establish Special Economic
Zones and attract huge foreign investment. However, presence of insurgent and
resistance groups in Baluchistan has kept foreign investors away from Pakistan.
Fallout of the war going on in the neighborhood is that some of the militant groups
have found safe havens in the province.
There is also a loud talk about creation
of ‘Greater Baluchistan’ comprising of one slice each from Iran, Pakistan and
Afghanistan. Since India has played a major role in turning East Pakistan into Bangladesh,
keeping an eye on its involvement in Chabahar, growing insurgency in Baluchistan
and armed conflicts at Pak Iran border is necessary.
