A tale of two ports

The presence of Pakistan's minister of ports and shipping Mir Hasil Bizenjo at the inauguration of the long-awaited $1 billion project to expand Chabahar port (including the $235 million from India) clearly explains Iran's strategy through which it seeks to send a message to Pakistan that its southeastern port constitutes no challenge or threat to Gwadar port, situated hardly 160 kilometres from its only port outside the Gulf. Speaking at the ceremony attended by dignitaries from Qatar, Afghanistan and India, President Hasan Rouhani tried to downplay, albeit unsuccessfully, suggestions of rivalry with Gwadar port, arguing that the port would bring "more engagement and unity" among countries in the region. But the fact that India has proceeded cautiously only in view of the US hostility towards Iran is very evident.
Unfortunately, his assertion fails to dispel the impression that the first phase of the project, known as the Shahid Beheshti port, is a strong reinforcement of mutual and regional cooperation between Iran and India. According to independent observers and commentators, Tehran has asked the Indian government to "manage" the first phase of the port until work for the second phase is finalized. Just a day earlier, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had held a meeting in Tehran with her Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif, to review the implementation of Chabahar Port. Last year, India, Afghanistan and Iran had decided to jointly establish a trade route for the landlocked Central Asian countries and Afghanistan. India committed up to $500 million for the development of Chabahar Port along with associated roads and rail lines.
The inking of the port deal had caused tensions between Tehran and Islamabad at that time. However, Iran has assured Pakistan that Chabahar is not being developed to rival Gwadar, which is currently being developed under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Pakistan does not allow India to transport goods through its territory to Afghanistan because India could transform this seemingly modest concession into a golden opportunity to bleed Pakistan. Afghan president Ashraf Ghani, acting at the behest of India, has linked his country's support to CPEC to a condition that Pakistan must provide a land route between India and Afghanistan.
While China has undertaken the development of Gwadar port, Pakistan's arch rival is involved in similar work at a little distance from there. The development of Chabahar port in the neighborhood of Gwadar constitutes another challenge to Islamabad. Although President Hasan Rouhani has downplayed suggestions of rivalry with Gwadar port, there are legitimate concerns with regard to a likely change in political and strategic dynamics in the region. Through its presence at Chabahar, where Iran's navy and air force have bases, India seeks to check both China and Pakistan. Convicted RAW agent Kulbhushan Jadhav had stationed himself at Chabahar before unlawfully entering Pakistan's Balochistan. India's urgency about a fast-track execution of Chabahar port was driven by the signing of a $50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor with Gwadar port its flagship project.
The Pakistani government has made the right move by allowing its minister to attend the port inauguration ceremony, sending Tehran a strong message that the countries must strive towards creating conditions under which the two ports complement each other and that expansion of Chabahar port must not lead to giving India more space in war-torn Afghanistan where New Delhi has been found to be providing shelter and sustenance to its proxies, who often cross over the Durand Line to cause bloodshed in Pakistan.