The trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan on Chabahar port project has received wide comment in the mainline Pakistani media. While some editorials lamented that Chabahar is a missed opportunity for Pakistan, some others termed the accord as a manifestation of Pakistan’s isolation in the region. Here is a compilation of various commentaries.
Dawn, May 25th, 2016
On the day when Pakistan struggled to find the words with which to register its reaction to the killing of Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike on its soil, the leaders of India, Iran and Afghanistan were preparing to meet in Tehran to finalise an agreement. The latter will take economic cooperation between the three countries to a new level. That meeting took place on Monday. And on that same day, our Foreign Office relayed its ‘concern’ over the drone strike to the US ambassador even as President Obama hailed it as “an important milestone”. Also on that day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, seated between his Afghan counterpart and the Indian prime minister, spoke in a televised address following the signing of a transit accord in which he said, “from Tehran, New Delhi and Kabul, this is a crucial message … that the path to progress for regional countries goes through joint cooperation and utilising regional opportunities”.
Over the years, Pakistan is becoming increasingly isolated from its own neighbours, and the events of Monday, when juxtaposed against each other, provide a vivid illustration of how this is happening. The port at Chabahar, and the linkages it opens up, can be seen either as a challenge to be countered or an opportunity to be exploited for Pakistan. Viewed through the lens of rivalry, the cooperative relations being forged by three of Pakistan’s four neighbours, with Chabahar as the emblem of this cooperation, look like an encirclement of the country, necessitating counter measures such as greater subordination of the state’s foreign policy to the dictates of China.But viewed through the lens of cooperation, the same ties appear as an opportunity to be tapped, calling for reciprocal measures such as opening talks on overland transit trade between the three countries, building links between Chabahar and Gwadar, as well as enhanced road links between Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif with Chaman and Peshawar to complete the loop. Pakistan’s foreign policy is built on rivalry, whereas it would be to the country’s long-term advantage to view its regional environment through the lens of cooperation instead.
Our region is alive with possibilities that greater cooperation and connectivity bring — from trade to energy — and Pakistan’s location can only be a significant asset in tapping these opportunities if our foreign relations are not dominated by suspicion.It is realistic, and not naïve, to suggest that in the evolving regional situation, cooperation yields greater benefits, while rivalry and conflict only serve to bottle the country up further. Of course, changing the rails upon which our foreign relations ride is not going to be easy, especially given the baggage of the past. But that doesn’t obscure the fact that the dividends actually lie on the other side. http://www.dawn.com/news/1260491/lessons-from-chabahar
The Express Tribune
Pakistan has an unfortunate propensity to miss opportunities, principally because of indifferent, strained or downright hostile relations with its contiguous neighbours and other countries in the region. This has persisted for decades and is only slowly beginning to change, but countries that are willing and able to capitalise on emerging opportunities are beginning to make the agreements that will underpin future development and wealth creation. On May 23, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all signed a three-way transit agreement that pivots around the Iranian southern port of Chabahar.
Like the port of Gwadar in Pakistan that is still something of a white elephant, a character in search of an author, Chabahar has never achieved its potential. The reasons are many and complex, with regional tensions figuring large. With the easing of sanctions on Iran post to the nuclear non-proliferation deal last year, a range of opportunities present themselves, and connecting Iran through India and Afghanistan to the Central Asian states makes eminently good business sense. Chabahar could become a business hub and is in obvious competition with Gwadar both now and in the future. Pakistan has failed to negotiate a transit agreement with Afghanistan and it is unsurprising that Afghanistan would turn to Iran to maximise opportunity. India has long invested in development in Afghanistan and quickly outflanked Pakistan diplomatically after the downfall of the Taliban. It cemented the post-Taliban relationship with development funding — India funded the new parliament building that houses both the upper and lower houses. Pakistan invested in conflict rather than nation-building, missing an opportunity as it did.
Pakistan cannot rely only on the Chinese and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as the panacea for multiple ills. With the country remaining preoccupied with internal security troubles and a government weakened by sterile political conflicts or ‘scandals’, then other countries in the region will find ways to walk around us rather than build inclusive relationships. The relationship with Saudi Arabia is being recalibrated successfully and there is no reason — theoretically — why others should not be similarly adjusted. Opportunity is for the taking, not the wasting. http://tribune.com.pk/story/1109534/transit-trade-accord/
Pakistan Today: isolated Pakistan
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was spot on – about the three-way transit accord between Iran, India and Afghanistan – that it “was not merely an economic document but a political and regional one”. He was slightly more politically correct, though, when he said this initiative was not “against any country”, only for peace and stability in the region. Now, given enough time, money and goodwill, the North South Transport Corridor would provide linkages to the trio, especially Chabahar port, from South Asia to Europe. That works even better for Iran, considering just before the three heads of state shook hands, India agreed to provide $500m to develop Chabahar.
To give credit where it is due, India was after all the last – not the first – big market player to rush to Tehran after sanctions were lifted. Who’s who of Europe, not to mention players from the Americas, have already courted the Iranians in hopes for a piece of its commodity rich market. And, so far, Modi’s not only walked back with the biggest prize, but he’s also upset Chinese plans to bankroll the Iranian port; affecting strategizing all the way to the US Pivot to Asia. If that does not count for top notch diplomacy, little does, especially in South Asia.
Pakistan, meanwhile, never felt the need to update its foreign policy with changing times. Even securing the local front – in the form of Zarb-e-Azb – only came after a great deal of unnecessary foot-dragging. And, considering how we have handled Iran and Afghanistan, especially, over the last few years, should Islamabad really be surprised that the two have entered into a beneficial alliance with India – keeping in mind the region’s evolving dynamics? Worse, still, is the fact that Pakistan still seems unwilling, or just unable, to snap out of its diplomatic paralysis. We are still without a foreign minister as well as a workable foreign policy. The result, naturally, is that we are isolated. Pakistan must take immediate notice of these trends and update and upgrade its foreign policy without any more delay. http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2016/05/25/comment/three-way-transit-accord/
The Nation: Exclusive Triangle
India, Afghanistan and Iran signed a three-way deal on Monday, worth up to $500 million, to be invested in the Chabahar Port, close to the border of Pakistan. The battle for military and trade supremacy in the region continues to take place, however, with this deal, Iran’s neutrality in this quest becomes questionable. Chabahar is to India what Gwadar is to China, and influencing regional trade remains a key source of competition between the two countries.
Should we be surprised that this ‘historic’ deal has left Pakistan out in the cold? Our closeness to China and the rivalry with India dictates that India would want to counter any influence coming in from Gwadar, and Afghanistan, being a long-standing Indian partner, was likely to go along with this move regardless. What is likely to rankle the Pakistani government is Iran’s participation, however. But this was also unavoidable, partly because India has $500 million to spend on Chabahar, which we do not, and partly also because Iran’s overtures have not been adequately dealt with on this side of the border. Before the sanctions were lifted, Pakistan had the golden opportunity of becoming an irreplaceable ally of Iran by simply completing the Iran-Pak gas pipeline, which, fearing US sanctions, it neglected to do, even after making endless promises of doing so.
Trade is the first step towards cementing a solid alliance with a country. Apart from that, the Iran President’s visit did not go as well as planned, especially after Pakistan decided to unilaterally mention the issue of the RAW spy and discussions with President Rouhani in this regard. With Pakistan squarely in the middle of the cooperating countries, there has to be some introspection on how to address this going forward. Since 2013, Pakistan has made numerous overtures to India, all of which have failed due to one reason or another.
Afghanistan still sits on the fence in its relationship with us. Iran is the key here, and finishing the IP Pipeline and looking to make other trading deals with Iran will ensure that this exclusion is not permanent.
The reaction from Irani media is indicative of the country’s rightful perception of its changing fortunes. Any country that attempts to stand by it and looking for mutual benefit at this point will be looked at as an ally in the future.15 weeks saw 15 leaders from different countries visit Tehran. Nawaz Sharif last visited the country in 2014, when the sanctions were still in place. Surely it is time for another trip.http://nation.com.pk/editorials/25-May-2016/an-exclusive-triangle
Daily Times: Modi’s Iran visit
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently embarked on a two-day sojourn to Iran, his first since taking the office, and four months after the lifting of international sanctions on Iran. One of the more important international trips of Indian Premier, the visit was closely followed by the regional players as a number of of strategically important agreements were expected to be signed. The focal point of the visit was the Chabahar port, situated at a distance of approximately 100 kilometre from the Gwadar port being developed by Chinese government under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan. The commercial contract with Iran will allow India to build and run a strategic port on Iran’s southern coast to ‘curb the influence’ of China in the wake of Gwadar port development. The talks for building the port were going on for years, but international sanctions on Iran were the main hindrance in signing an agreement. But since the scaling back of sanctions, India has pushed hard for the project to avoid loss to other regional players like China. On Monday, Iran, India and Afghanistan signed an accord to develop a trade route with Chabahar being the hub. Under the agreement, India is expected to invest 500 million dollars in the project. Moreover, many rail and road development projects were also signed, connecting the port of Chabahar to the major cities of Iran and Afghanistan. India has already been establishing road network in Afghanistan to connect in with the Chabahar port.
The port of Chabahar is of extreme importance to India as it not only counters threat to regional power balance but also provides it a route to the land-locked Afghanistan and the Central Asian Republics. Pakistan doesn’t allow India land access to Afghanistan through its territory. For this purpose, Indian government is determined to find alternate routes to access the Central Asian markets. Furthermore, the development of Chabahar port will decrease the dependability of Afghanistan on Pakistani ports. It will provide Afghanistan a reliable alternative route to India via sea. Post-sanctions Iran has provided mixed signals, but many have touted it as the next big economic story.
The policy makers in Pakistan need to take into account the developments in Iran. The work on CPEC projects needs to be expedited. The land routes through Pakistan provide most feasible option for landlocked Afghanistan and the Central Asian Republics, and Pakistan should exploit the opportunity to capture the market. The CPEC is the leading cause for India pushing hard for the development of the port to counter regional influence. Moreover, the regional security of west Asia might also be a cause of concern for Indian government as more than seven million Indian nationals work in the middle-eastern states. With the current turmoil throughout the region, India would look to take care of its interests in the region. The trilateral agreement with Iran and Afghanistan will not only benefit India economically but also provides it a footing to consolidate its power in the region. http://dailytimes.com.pk/editorial/25-May-16/modis-iran-visit