With Chabahar Port, Afghanistan no longer dependent on Pakistan, says Afghanistan 'CEO' Abdullah Abdullah

Ashgabat/Washington: Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, M. J Akbar said that Pakistan had decided to become an impedance for trade between Afghanistan and India. Nonetheless, India’s trade with Afghanistan has commenced via Iran’s Chabahar port, he said while expressing his content. Akbar made this statement while speaking at the ‘Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan’ (RECCA) held in Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat. On the other hand, Afghanistan’s CEO Abdullah Abdullah while speaking at an event held in Washington, said that Afghanistan is not dependent on Pakistan anymore due to the Chabahar port.

Time and again, India had made demands that Pakistan open the Trade route between Afghanistan and India. However, Pakistan refused and decided to be an obstruction between their trade. The common man in Afghanistan was affected adversely because of this, said M.J. Akbar while expressing his regret. Nevertheless, India developed Iran’s Chabahar port for trade and it’s transit between the two nations has commenced via this route. M. J Akbar informed with contentment that for the first time, an Indian ship had delivered wheat at the Chabahar port. He said that the commencement of this new transit route marks the beginning of a new Era. This route would not only benefit Afghanistan and India but the west Asian countries would also get connected to India in terms of trade, added M. J. Akbar.

Mr. Akbar also accentuated that the trade between India and Afghanistan has also begun via air.

By emphasizing, that India had invested approximately 3 billion dollars in Afghanistan since 2001, Mr. Akbar appealed that India was committed towards Afghanistan’s development. Meanwhile in USA, during his speech amidst a think tank called ‘Center for Strategic and International Studies’ (CSIS) in Washington, Afghanistan’s CEO Abdullah Abdullah informed regarding the important changes that took place due to development of Chabahar port. He said that, Afghanistan was solely dependent on Pakistan‘s Karachi Port until now. However, with the development of Chabahar port, Afghanistan will no longer be dependent on Pakistan, added Abdullah Abdullah.

Abdullah Abdullah said that Pakistan is the base of the terrorist organization, Taliban that spreads violence in Afghanistan. Pakistan has been using Taliban to gain control over Afghanistan. He said that since Afghanistan was dependent on Pakistan’s Karachi port, it could not take a stance against Pakistan beyond a certain limit. However, in the coming times, Afghanistan would no longer be under such restrictions, he said while speaking in a different light.

While speaking in a conference held in Pakistan, its senior army officer, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat warned that India was playing with fire. He said that India had prepared for a controlled war and had especially strategized to block the ‘China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)’ project. Also, Indian Intelligence agency ‘RAW’ was causing unrest in Pakistan with the aid of separatists in Baluchistan province and by providing support to the ‘Tehrik-i-Taliban’. Similar accusations had been made by Pakistan even in the past but its intensity has increased this time. It is very evident that India’s development of the Chabahar port is contributing to Pakistan’s restlessness.