What is the importance of developing Chabahar Port by India?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) India will not depend on Pakistan for access to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Chabahar, a port on Iran's southern coast, gives India a sea-and-land route to Afghanistan and Central Asia that does not pass through Pakistan. Pakistan does not allow Indian goods to move overland through its territory to Afghanistan and beyond, which is why this route matters.
- ✓ (c) Chabahar is described as a gateway for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. It is a sea route through Iran, so India need not rely on Pakistan for land transit.
- ✗ (a) Chabahar is on the Gulf of Oman side of Iran and is meant for links with Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia. Trade with Africa is not its purpose.
- ✗ (b) Iran is not an Arab country, and the project is about transit connectivity, not about ties with Arab oil producers.
- ✗ (d) Chabahar is a port project. It involves no gas pipeline between Iraq and India, and Pakistan is not a party to it.
Remember · Chabahar (Iran) is India's route to Afghanistan and Central Asia that avoids Pakistan, and links to the International North-South Transport Corridor.
Sources
- PIB, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways: Long-term Main Contract for development of Shahid Beheshti Port Terminal, Chabahar (13 May 2024) ↗ “highlights the importance of Chabahar as a gateway for trade with Afghanistan and broader Central Asian countries.”
- Ministry of External Affairs: Distinguished Lecture on India and Central Asia (mea.gov.in) ↗ “Pakistan does not permit goods, cargo or people to move directly through Pakistan to Afghanistan, let alone to Central Asia beyond it.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·