‘ Pak impedes South Asia connectivity’

■ ‘ Unwilling regime’ denies India Afghan trade route ◗ Connectivity initiatives that straddle national boundaries must be pursued in a manner that respects territorial integrity of nations, said New Delhi

India on Thursday blamed an “unwilling regime in Islamabad” for denying New Delhi land- connectivity between India and Afghanistan, saying that in order to “bypass” Pakistan, the Chabahar port project — that will provide India sea- land connectivity to Afghanistan through Iran — is a “gateway for onward connectivity to and from Afghanistan and Central Asia”.

In a veiled reference to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative ( BRI) that India has refused to join since it passes through Pakistanoccupied Kashmir ( PoK), New Delhi also said “connectivity initiatives that straddle national boundaries must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations” and that “they should promote trade, not tension”.

In another veiled reference to recent controversies over some countries in south Asia reeling from Chinese debt, New Delhi also said such projects must “not place nations under an irredeemable debt burden”. Interestingly, the remarks were made by foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale at a “Regional Connnectivity Conference on South Asia in the Indo- Pacific Context” in New Delhi on Thursday that was organised by the US State Department. Relations between the US and Iran have hit rock- bottom, with Washington seeking to impose sanctions on any country buying Iranian oil after November 4. New Delhi’s emphasis on the strategic importance of the Chabahar port project in Iran and its participation in the project at a seminar organised by the US Government is also being seen by observers as a message to the US too that New Delhi will not cut economic ties with Tehran.