Afghanistan seeks enhanced trade ties with India through ‘optimum’ use of Chabahar port

Kabul’s top diplomat to Mumbai Zakia Wardak also tabled ‘certain regulatory hurdles in the optimum utilization of the Chabahar port’ with Governor Koshyari with hopes to enhance trade and economic ties with India

@Kunal_Chonkar

New Delhi: In an attempt to warm the cold relations between India and Iran, Afghanistan appealed New Delhi to aggrandize its trade with Kabul through Tehran’s Chabahar Port. Kabul’s desire to increase its economic relations with New Delhi were expressed a day after Afghanistan confirmed the three-day visit of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), to India starting from October 6.

According to a release, the remarks to enhance bilateral trade between India and Afghanistan were made by Kabul’s top diplomat to Mumbai Zakia Wardak in her meeting with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan on October 5.

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The release read that Wardak highlighted the potential for the growth of India-Afghanistan trade through the Iranian Chabahar port. Wardak, who holds the unique distinction of being Afghanistan’s first woman Consul General voiced that ‘it will be her endeavor to promote the Chabahar port route, which has direct links with Nhava-Sheva and Kandla ports in India.’ As per the release, Wardak also tabled ‘certain regulatory hurdles in the optimum utilization of the Chabahar port’ with Governor Koshyari.

In his response to the appeal made and concerns raised by the Afghani diplomat, the release quoted Governor Koshyari of assuring ‘to resolve the bilateral problems and promote trade between the two countries by seeking the intervention of Ministry of External Affairs.’

Wardak also thanked the Indian leadership ‘for its help in constructing the parliament building in Afghanistan and providing education scholarships to a large number of Afghani students.’

Prior to her diplomatic appointment, Wardak ran for a seat in Afghanistan’s Wolesi Jirga, the House of the People, and was among the 108 women candidates running for nine seats in Kabul. Born and raised in a military family, Wardak’s father Abdul Ali Khan served as an Afghan General and fought against the Soviets. Her brother Zalmai was also a General in Afghanistan’s Military Intelligence Division. The diplomat’s husband, Seraj too served in the military, before taking up the construction of schools, medical centers, orphanages, and community aid units across the war-torn Afghan lands.

She was part of the 20-member delegation appointed by President Ashraf Ghani-led government to hold intra-Afghan peace talks with the radical Taliban.

Armed with a master’s degree in architecture, Wardak’s work in Afghanistan has majorly focused on building spaces for communities with diversity. She is well-known in the political realms of Kabul for advocating strong policies upholding various causes for the Afghan women.