The Chahbahar port, that India built in Iran, will become a hub.India initiates rail route plan through Central Asia
India has taken the lead in what it calls “kickstarting” an “international north-south corridor” from Iran to Russia via Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to ensure a seamless connectivity to Central Asia. New Delhi wants this corridor to be operational by 2013.
Government sources said here on Wednesday that New Delhi met interlocutors from these partner countries in January to initiate the process. The plan, kept under the wraps so far, is in keeping with the the country’s “Look Central Asia policy”.
In this context, experts have identified the “missing links” in rail connectivity. “There is road connectivity, but what we want is a seamless rail connectivity. This will ensure a faster, a more hassle-free and less expensive way to transport goods through Iran to the Central Asian countries and further north to Russia,” a government source said.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in...l-asia/918502/
It will permit moving of goods to countries North of Afghanistan and who knows how that gets funnelled into Afghanistan for the ISAF. It is obviously to Iran's advantage that the Pakistan (Sunni) based Taliban does not get an upper hand at the expense of the minority Shias in Afghanistan!
Conjecture, but then there are many oddities that occur in foreign policy.
In this context this is report is of interest:
India Set To Be Bigger Player In Afghanistan NATO Transport?
The U.S. military might rely on India as a way of getting equipment in and out of Afghanistan if Pakistan doesn't cooperate, a senior military official has said. The official, Marine Lt. Gen. Frank Panter, deputy commandant for installations and logistics, testified at a Congressional hearing on Thursday and was asked about the U.S.'s plans if Pakistan doesn't soon start to allow U.S. and NATO supplies to again transit that country. He said India would be part of the solution, according to a report from the Press Trust of India.
http://www.eurasianet.org/taxonomy/term/2323
Bookmarks