According to newspaper reports, a big chunk of the $46 billion Chinese investment will be implemented by next year which will give practical shape to the regional connectivity plan of the second largest economy of the world. It is also good omen that after Iran, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, Russia is desiring to become part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor to use the Gwadar port for its exports to the south eastern hemisphere of the globe. Undoubtedly the economic corridor is a game changer, a big connectivity plan and a strategic location. Russia does not want to keep aloof itself from reaping its dividends. It is a lesson for India, which is opposing the project for nonsensical reasons, to shun its policy of Pakistan bashing and become part of a regional economic zone. It will give India not only access to the Central Asia states beyond Afghanistan, but will also open up its borders with Pakistan and trade relations will lead to the resolution of the thorny issues between the two countries. Earlier during his visit to Turkmenistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that various regional countries are willing to join the corridor and that half of the world will benefit from the project.
The prime minister has also announced construction of railway tracks, roads and fiber-optics along with 1,680-kilometer-long Turkmenistan-Pakistan-Afghanistan-India gas pipeline project to enhance connectivity between south and Central Asia.The TAPI project will supply 400 billion cubic feet gas to the three member states in which Pakistan’s share will be three hundred billion feet of gas. But problem is on the west and east sides where Afghanistan and India have made an unholy alliance against Pakistan which is not only costing regional peace but also affecting the regional economies. If India can become part of the TAPI project there is no reason to keep itself away from the corridor project for its own benefit. The Russian involvement in the corridor project will give legal, moral and geographical support to Pakistan’s points of view which wants South Asia as peaceful region. The progress on the project is going on in steady rate and will not only bring prosperity for Pakistan but also in the region. The initiative is part of Chinese government One Belt, One Road project which will revive trade across Central Asia and into Europe via a highly developed infrastructure of railways, ports and highways. The electricity generation projects are also part of the corridor and the government hopes it will be able add 11,000 megawatts to the system by 2018.
The establishment of regional peace is very important and the new Indian government seems hell-bent to spoil everything in South Asian region. The time is running out and India will have to come to terms to change the lot of billions of people living in this part of the world.
