Ali.009
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New Delhi stabbed Iran in the back at the IAEA. Tehran retaliated by cancelling the $6.5 deal with Bharat (aka India). Energy thirsty Bharat desperately wants gas and gasoline. The nearest gas is in Iran. Delhi has signed agreements with Tehran, but Iran won’t sell Bharat the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and Ahmedinjad won’t allow Bharat’s ONGC (Oil and Gand Company) to explore gas in Iranian gas fields.
There is more history behind Indo-Iranian relations.
INDIA-IRAN ROAD LINK TO CENTRAL ASIA VIA KABUL
VS.
PAKISTAN-CHINA ROAD/RAIL/CYBER/PIPE LINKS to CHINA & CENTRAL ASIA
by Moin Ansari
NEW YORK:Feb. 8th, 2008-Rupee News: The sailors of yesteryear, and the nations they represented, Amerigo Vespucci, Christopher Columbus and Vasco De Gama stepped over each other seeking a the shortest route to the South Asian Subcontinent. Today many of the same nations plus the ancient powers who are now independent, are seeking the shortest route to Central Asia. Stopping the supply chain that rains terror on PakistanTwo visions for Central Asia are emerging. One vision was to link Gwador to China and Central Asia. The counter-move is the Indian threat first build a new port in Iran and then to connect this new Iranian port city of Chahbahar to the Kabul and beyond. India has built parts of a highway from Chabahar (in Iran) through Afghanistan to Tajikistan (Chabahar-Kabul-Kunduz-Badakhshan) which will enable India to have a transport corridor to the otherwise inaccessible Central Asian region.
The suitability of Iranian Chabahar port for acting as a trade conduit for Central Asia is doubtful at best. In the best case scenario, from Iranian point of view, both Gwadar and Chabahar can equally benefit from Central Asian business. The Chabahar port is well-suited for linking to the southern parts of Afghanistan and a few Central Asian states. Given the current protracted instability in Afghanistan, Chabahar is not really a serious contender for Central Asian trade – at least, not for the foreseeable future – because the proposed trade route passes through the whole of Afghanistan from bottom to all the way up to its north. The trade route from Gwadar, on the other hand, to Central Asia and possibly to Russia will pass through only a narrow strip, i.e. Wakhan, in north-eastern Afghanistan. But the real value of Gwadar port lies in its use for Chinese trade with Gulf States, Middle Eastern and European countries. The bulk of the cargo handled by Gwadar port is expected to either originate from or destined to China. And the route for that trade is already nearing to be fully functional.
For the trade route to Central Asian states and Russia, the only segment to be built anew is Wakhan part. The construction of that segment, ensuring the safety of trucks in that area, and negotiating the terms and conditions with Afghanistan are more of a need and responsibility of Central Asian states and Russia – and not a headache of Pakistan. Indian participation in the construction of Chabahar and a road linking it to Afghanistan is more of a gimmick than a real strategic investment. The only feasible and shortest trade route for Indian trade with Central Asian countries is the land route that passes through Pakistan. The Indian participation in the construction of Chabahar should bring more of consolation and satisfaction to Pakistanis than any real benefit for Indians. Chabahar route is really infeasible for Indian trade due to its length, increased taxation and duties, and see/land switch-overs. Due to its high transportation cost and increased time to market, this route will act more as a continuous liability for the Indian traders. The net effect will be the less competitive Indian goods. Indian goods are already infamous for the poor quality. With high transportation costs, double custom duties, and greater delays will not let the Indian trade with Central Asia to really take off. And that is a good news for Gwadar lovers. Rupee News contributor Pakbird
The road that was supposed to have heralded a new area of influence in Afghanistan is a sad state of disrepair and is unusable. The insurgent forces have targeted the roads and the supply chains. This is how they won the war against the USSR. They are using the same tactics against the NATO-ISAF occupation. The road a symbol of US-Bharati and Bharati-Afghan cooperation is already a skeleton of what was planned. Neither ISAF nor NATO dare use the road. Iran is least interested in any venture with Bharat afer Delhi stabbed it in the back by throwing it to the wolves of the IAEA and then firing an Iran specific satellite for Isreal. Delhi Tehran relations are on ice and have been in cold storage for a few years.
