India, Iran and Afghanistan to expedite pact on Chabahar port

A fortnight after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan and Iran has shown keen interest in expediting the trilateral pact on Chabahar port with India, which would improve connectivity, trade and business ties among the three nations.

The decision to expedite the process came after union minister of road, transport and highways Nitin Gadkari held a meeting with delegations from Iran and Afghanistan, which was led Iran Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi and the Afghan Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mohamadullah Batash, respectively.
According to senior official from the ministry, the work on Chabahar Port will begin soon once the tender process is over.

The agreement on the Chabahar port in southern Iran was finalized in May this year after discussions between Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, which will give India access to Afghanistan and Europe bypassing Pakistan.

The move assumes significance in the wake of the recent stressed ties between India and Pakistan post the Uri attack and a retaliatory counter surgical attack by India in Pakistan on Thursday, as India is trying to diplomatically isolate is neighbour.

India has committed to invest 500 million dollar to develop the Chabahar port. A trilateral Agreement on Transport and Transit Corridor was also signed by The three countries.