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[Diplomacy] Delaram Zaranj Highway, Chabahar Port: India-Iran-Afghanistan trade

relations
1.
2.
3.

Delaram-Zaranj Highway
Why Iran allowed Indian Investment?
Whats Indias Problem?

4.

16th NAM summit

Earlier we saw TAPI Pipeline issue, involving India-Afghanistan. (click Me if you didnt)
Here comes a new topic on India-Afghanistan (+Iran).
Afghanistan is a land-locked country. Most of its international trade is done through Pakistani sea-ports.
Therefore, India wished to connect to Afghanistan via an alternative route (through Iran).
So, In 2003 a trilateral agreement was signed among India, Iran and Afghanistan.
Under this agreement
Iran was to build a highway from Chabahar (a Port City of Iran) upto Afghanistan border.
India was to build a road connecting Delaram (border city of Afghanistan) to Zaranj (Capital of Nimruz province of
Afghanistan)

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India wanted to develop port @Chabahar (Iran) to do trading with

Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan.

Delaram-Zaranj Highway
DelaramZaranj Highway, also known as Route 606.
Length about 200km
It connects Delaram (border city of Afghanistan) to Zaranj (Capital of Nimruz province of Afghanistan).
India totally financed this project. (about 600 crore rupees).
Border Roads Organization (BRO) of India, has constructed this highway.
Construction started in 2005, and in 2009 the road was opened for public use.
During the construction of this highway,Taliban killed about 130 workers, including 4 Indians from BRO.
So far, all the roadway construction is finished.
India wished to access both Afghanistan and other central Asian nations (like Turkmenistan), through this Chabahar port, But the
Chabahar port is not yet fully developed to handle the huge cargo to and from India.
All these years, India was requesting Iran to allow them to do some port Development on this port.

Why Iran allowed Indian Investment?

In the early 2012, US put sanction against Iran Oil export, i.e. if any country
imports crude oil from Iran, then that countrys bank (through which payments
are made to Iran) will not be allowed to do transections in USA.
Because of this sanction, most of the nations stopped importing oil from Iran,
except some big ones like India and China, but India too felt the heat of US
diplomatic pressure and agreed to cut down oil imports from Iran.
Port city of Chabahar (Iran)
Majority of Irans nation income comes from Oil export, so, theyre also feeling the heat. They want money, so, Iranian
Government has now allowed India do invest upto $100 million in the Chabahar Port Development project.

Whats Indias Problem?

Well, now Indian Government fears that doing any investment in Iran= USA will be annoyed.
So, India wants two things
1. Afghanistan must make a commitment that it will do trading through this Iranian port. (otherwise the whole project will be
economically unviable). Because there is a good chance, Afghanistan may not do any trading at all, with pressure from US
and Pakistan.
2. Afghanistan should sign a triparitate MoU with Iran and India, make it look like Afghanistan badly wants this project for the
Development of its own economy and we (Indians) are just helping in rebuilding the Afghanistan.
But Afghanistan has changed the tone now, theyre not saying anything about the project (may be under secret US pressure.)
Theyre not keen on signing any such agreement or MoU or statement.
In short, Indias problem is how to calibrate the political signal it sends out at a time when the West is focused on making
economic sanctions work effectively against Iran, especially when Afghanistan too has been reluctant given the issues involved.
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Mohan talking with Karzai

16th NAM summit

16th NAM summit will be held in Iran, during August 30-31.
Mohan is going to visit this summit and will try to negotiate something with the Presidents of Iran and Afghanistan to sign up
some new MoU kinda document.
For more articles on [diplomacy], visit mrunal.org/Diplomacy
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[Diplomacy] Russia-Pakistan: Growing Ties
[Diplomacy] Liancourt Rocks/ Takeshima/ Dokdo Islets Dispute Between Japan and South Korea
[Diplomacy] RIO +20 Summit: Meaning, Outcomes and Indias Stand at RIO +20, Sustainable Development
Kyoto Protocol, Carbon Trading, Copenhagen Accord: Meaning, Explained
[Diplomacy] Nuclear Security Summit at Seoul: Outcomes, Indias contribution
August 26th, 2012 | Category: Diplomacy

29 comments to [Diplomacy] Delaram Zaranj Highway, Chabahar Port: India-Iran-Afghanistan trade relations

chenab khanna
August 26, 2012 at 7:43 PM Reply
thanks mrunal sir..for throwing such an insight on this topic..
sir my INTERNATIONAL RELATION & INSTITUTION part is weakwhat book or magazine should i follow..or reading it from the
hindu is enough???
sir since newspaper provide info only abt current happening but background information about tht issue is not there so i find it
difficult..also to read from internet makes me confuse as how much to read n wht to skip????

Mrunal
August 27, 2012 at 5:27 AM Reply
Strategy given in this article:
http://mrunal.org/2012/06/studyplan-india-and-world.html
How to read newspaper, given in this article:
http://mrunal.org/2012/06/current-affairs-ias.html
mrunal.org/2012/08/diplo-delaram.html

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http://mrunal.org/2012/06/current-affairs-ias.html

irfan
August 26, 2012 at 8:30 PM Reply
Thank u for this reportt and will like to hear more about it. And anything between afgjanistan and india will like to receive with warm
welcom. Thank

madhusudan
August 26, 2012 at 9:12 PM Reply
its CHAHBAHAR not CHABAHAR

Mrunal
August 27, 2012 at 5:17 AM Reply
Both The Hindu and Indianexpress used the word Chabahar and not Chahbahar
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3820948.ece
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/iran-port-india-for-kabul-on-board-talks/993188/

ArchanaVedantam
August 26, 2012 at 10:21 PM Reply
Bhaiya Ji I Am INDEBTED 2 You

Abhishek Singh
August 27, 2012 at 12:19 AM Reply
Thanks Mrunal Sir.

anitha
August 27, 2012 at 2:55 AM Reply
Sir
Sorry to ask you this again and again even though you said that you are not aware of this subjects.-BOTANY AND ZOOLOGY.It will be
highly helpful if you provide ideas,notes,preparation strategy,coaching centres and book list for these two subjects.The link you have
given earlier is not working and not at all clear and it confuses more.So please give us the needed guidance for these subjects.
Thank you in advance.

Mohit
August 27, 2012 at 4:10 AM Reply
thanx a lot for this beautiful article.

tanu
August 27, 2012 at 5:07 AM Reply
i think delaram is a city in western afghanistan not iran and iran was to build highway upto border town of zaranj not
delaram..anyways superbly funny article.esp the dialogue

Mrunal
August 27, 2012 at 5:18 AM Reply
yep Delaram is a city of Afghanistan.

Partho
August 27, 2012 at 6:54 AM Reply
Correction : Iran was to build a highway from Chabahar (a Port City of Iran) upto Afghanistan border city Delaram
Must be : Iran was to build a highway from Chabahar (a Port City of Iran) upto Afghanistan border city Zaranj.
Zaranj is the border city and not delaram.

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Zaranj is the border city and not delaram.

Mrunal
August 27, 2012 at 12:05 PM Reply
thanks for the correction.

Partho
August 27, 2012 at 6:57 AM Reply
My bad: Capital is still Zaranj!

Raajashekkar Reddy
August 27, 2012 at 8:45 AM Reply
MRUNALJI, THE WAY YOU PRESENT THE ISSUE IS AWESOME. THANKS FOR THAT.

A.G
August 27, 2012 at 11:13 AM Reply
Hi mrunal
pl resolve the confusion in capital name.
The link pertaining to TAPI pipe line is not a hyperlink.

Mrunal
August 27, 2012 at 12:03 PM Reply
Zaranj is the capital of Nimruz province of Afghanistan.
TAPI link: http://mrunal.org/2012/07/diplo-tapi.htm

praveen kumar
August 28, 2012 at 2:21 AM Reply
hello sir,
if you can put some light on Gilgit-Baltistan issue, it will be rally grateful for me.
thanks

A.G
August 29, 2012 at 2:36 PM Reply
Thanks a lot Mrunal!!!!!

manju
August 29, 2012 at 3:21 PM Reply
Hello sir,
Links are not opening on IGNOU material, plz check it sir.

Mrunal
August 29, 2012 at 6:26 PM Reply
their server may be down.

Partho
August 29, 2012 at 3:23 PM Reply
Possible Roadblocks Ahead
The most obvious resistance to an Indo-Iranian alliance in Afghanistan is likely to come from Pakistan. The memory of the Indo-Iranian
collaboration in the 1990s will possibly play a part in Islamabads strategic thinking as the Northern Alliance was viewed as a deliberate
attempt to thwart Pakistans influence in the country.
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The increasing influence of India and Iran in Afghanistan and implications of the development of the trade infrastructure for Pakistan
will possibly stoke its fears of strategic encirclement, especially at a time when its relations with Kabul are not at their best. Such
suspicions have resulted in attacks on Indian targets in Afghanistan by Pakistan-controlled groups in the past, which are likely to
continue in the future, and possibly extend to target Iran as well.
Another possible obstacle could be Indias relations with the US, which have strengthened in recent years. This is evident in Indias
votes against Iran at the IAEA and its attempts to cut back on oil imports from Iran.
They also have different perceptions regarding the US presence in Afghanistan, which can complicate the Indo-Iran equation further.
While, Iran perceives the US presence in Afghanistan as a security threat, India is worried that the US withdrawal in 2014 may further
worsen the situation. A possible Indo-USpartnership in Afghanistan a new aspect of Americas post-2014 Afghan strategy could
hamper Indias cooperation with Iran in Afghanistan.
Finally, some of Irans policies towards Afghanistan may also unravel its partnership with India. For instance, despite not wanting to see
a Taliban-dominated Afghanistan, Iran has made overtures to them like allowing it to open an office in Zahedan and training and
equipping the group. Similarly, it has attempts to fuel sectarian strife in Afghanistan by sending inflammatory text books found offensive
by Sunni Muslims. All this is being done in an attempt to frustrate the US mission in Afghanistan by making it tougher for them to
manage the situation in the country.
However, such efforts strike at the very foundation of what brought India and Iran together in Afghanistan opposition to the Taliban
and a desire for stability in Afghanistan.

A.G
August 29, 2012 at 4:57 PM Reply
Hi Mrunal,
Pl update if any thing held positive in this regard w.r.t the NAM summit and meeting held b/w INDIAs Pm and IRAN counterpart
(yesterday or today).

A.G
August 29, 2012 at 5:09 PM Reply
Hi Mrunal,,
Pl update if any thing held positive in this regard w.r.t the NAM summit and meeting held b/w INDIAs Pm and IRAN counterpart
(yesterday or today).

abhinav dwivedi
August 29, 2012 at 8:15 PM Reply
what india will get by building a road connecting zaranj(border city of Afghanistan) to delaram

sartaj
October 10, 2012 at 3:36 AM Reply
hey mrunal just off topic why dont you become a cartoonist???? with such great quotes atleast papers will sell

Sudip
October 19, 2012 at 9:12 PM Reply
Hi Mrunal you are doing a great job.. Thank you..

Suresh S
November 6, 2012 at 5:56 PM Reply
No words to thank you & your efforts to keep civil service aspirants on track!!
Thankyou so much Mrunal!!

bala and siva

November 6, 2012 at 11:15 PM Reply
Sir, We kindly request you to start a newspaper dedicated for upsc aspirants.. u r our god..

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