Chabahar Port opens new strategic route for India

Chabahar Port open a new strategic transit route for Iran, India and Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan. India is likely to manage and operate the port till the second phase is complete. The completion of the internal procedures on the ratification process by Iran is expected to lead to full and early operationalisation of the Transit and Trade arrangement between the three countries though the Chabahar Port. The Ministers of India, Iran and Afghanistan also held talks to speed up the efforts to operationalise the complete port at the earliest. For India, the investment in Chabahar was important since the port will bolster a trade route for land-locked Central Asian countries that would bypass rival Pakistan. Last year, India committed up to $500 million for the development of the Chabahar port along with associated roads and rail lines.