Landlocked Afghanistan faces many issues related to trade as it has to cross Iran or Pakistan to reach water ports as the seaports accelerate the rate of international trade and act as an inhibitor in trade cost. Mirza Ahmad Ebrahimi, a PhD research scholar writing in Khaama Press in an op-ed page analysed Afghanistan’s two options, Chabahar or Karachi seaport.
Chabahar seaport via Iran was found to be the utmost sustainable one as a trade route. To connect Afghanistan with Iran’s Zabul province for smoothing and accelerating goods movement, the Delaram-Zaranj Highway with a 218 km roadway in the Nimruz province was designed and constructed by the government of India at the request of Afghanistan and cost USD 175 million.
Zabul province in Iran is well-connected by road to the Port of Chabahar. It is one of the busiest roads in Afghanistan and provides an important trade route between Afghanistan, Iran, and the rest of Asia, said Ebrahimi.
Chabahar road is much shorter and more stable than any of the routes in Pakistan, making it perhaps the most efficient means that Afghan traders can reach the final destination for their exports, where 80 per cent of Afghanistan’s cargo traffic now lies.
Furthermore, the Chabahar route paves the opportunity to access two countries’ markets with a population of 1.4 billion rather than one country with a population of 200 million people.
Zabul province in Iran is well-connected by road to the Port of Chabahar. It is one of the busiest roads in Afghanistan and provides an important trade route between Afghanistan, Iran, and the rest of Asia, said Ebrahimi. Chabahar road is much shorter and more stable than any of the routes in Pakistan, making it perhaps the most efficient means that Afghan traders can reach the final destination for their exports, where 80 per cent of Afghanistan’s cargo traffic now lies.
Furthermore, the Chabahar route paves the opportunity to access two countries’ markets with a population of 1.4 billion rather than one country with a population of 200 million people.
