The declaration called for conclusion of the regional railways agreement and to convene the expert group meeting on the motor vehicles agreement before the next session of the council of ministers and to direct the early conducting of a demonstration run of a container train covering Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Further, the declaration wanted the completion of the preparatory work on the Indian Ocean cargo and passenger ferry service including the feasibility study by the end of 2011 in order to launch the service.

Thus, the SAARC members — India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives have taken up the issue of connectivity covering land, and sea routes as the major focus area since this is sure to give a big push to the intra SAARC trade which the member countries are aiming at. The follow up of the actions on implementing the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) can be properly done with better connectivity between the SAARC members.

Presently Afghanistan is the kingpin of the Indian policy formulation in this part of Asia and India has taken a deliberate policy to assert in Af-Pak region through its economic muscle power and the expertise in undertaking infrastructure projects. That way, any move that facilitates the process of transportation and transit facilities between the countries of South Asia and Central Asia, is a welcome development from Indian point of view. The strategy is part of India’s policy response to the coming withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan and also the active role being played by the big powers including USA, China and Russia in exploiting the oil and gas resources in the Central Asia region.

India has closely followed the meeting of the Presidents of Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan held in Dushanbe on September 2 and Indian sources are happy that the focus has been on transportation and easy transit between the countries for which India has been campaigning for long. India is interested in taking part in the infrastructure work and the Indian companies which have wide experience in such rail road construction jobs, are following the developments with interest and exploring the possibility of participation. Once the participating countries agree on the nature of their collaboration and the structure of the organization for undertaking the task, Indian companies will officially look for the possibility of investment and participation.

Indian foreign ministry in consultations with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has worked on a comprehensive plan called “Heart of Asia” with Afghanistan at its centre. India visualizes a regional economic cooperation with railways and highways, energy pipelines and cross investments as a part of the objective of linking South Asia to Central Asia. In fact Indian external affairs minister S.M. Krishna told a conference on Afghanistan in Istanbul recently that India is investing in a big way in Afghanistan and that require a framework of regional collaboration for its success. India wants the countries of the Central Asia to be a part of this regional collaboration which will give a big boost to the trade and commerce in this entire region of South and Central Asia.

As Indian Government sees it, from its vantage point in SAARC, India will like to highlight the potential of the dynamic SAARC market of over 1.5 billion and the Indian economy of over US$ 1.5 trillion growing at a rate of 8 per cent per annum. Cooperation linking South Asia with Central Asia through Afghanistan could be a critical confidence building measure and India will like to take this process forward. According to the Indian point of view, critical requirements for Afghanistan are security, good governance and development and it is for this reason that as a developing neighbour itself, India has pledged up to US$ 2 billion in development and humanitarian assistance and recently signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Afghanistan looking at 2014 and beyond.

Further, India does not look at Afghanistan and the region in competitive terms. It is based on a vision of regional economic cooperation spanning all the countries in the region. India, therefore wants the involvement of the Central Asian countries as also Russia in the process of the development of Afghanistan following the US withdrawal. This will serve the Indian objective of marginalizing Pakistan though India welcomes Pakistan participation in any central initiative in the region in respect of developing transit route.

India is now proactive in respect of both Afghanistan and Iran. The Government has proposed a plan to construct a 900 km railway line that will connect Chabahar port in Iran, being built with India’s help to the mineral rich Hajigak region of Afghanistan. Chabahar is 72 km west of Pakistan’s Gawdar port which is being built with Chinese help. Sources say that it will increase India’s leverage in Afghanistan and its strategic presence in the region. It will give Afghanistan access to the sea, thus reducing its dependence on Pakistan.

Once the entire network comprising of road, rail and port is in place, it can become a launching pad for greater economic and strategic involvement of India in the oil and mineral rich central Asia.Haigak,130 km west of Kabul in Bamiyan province, holds Afghanistan’s largest iron ore deposits. Of the 22 companies shortlisted for the bid for these mines, 14 are Indian including a consortium led by public sector Steel Authority of India Ltd. Indian companies will aggressively bid for work in the South and Central Asian region and the proposed rail road link discussed at the Dushanbe meeting, offers a big opportunity to them to explore. (IPA Service)