Rail Consortium Says Connecting Kandahar To Chabahar Is Taliban’s Priority
Mostafa Rezaei, CEO of the Afghanistan Rail Development Consortium, says connecting Kandahar to Chabahar is a priority for the Taliban.
Mostafa Rezaei, CEO of the Afghanistan Rail Development Consortium, says connecting Kandahar to Chabahar is a priority for the Taliban.
This Iranian official stated that the Chabahar to Milak railway will be operational by mid-next year.
In May 2016, the leaders of the previous Afghan government, India, and Iran signed a trilateral agreement to develop the Chabahar port.
The aim of this agreement was to create a trade and transit corridor among the regional countries.
The Afghanistan Rail Development Consortium consists of several private Iranian companies. Iranian officials have stated that this consortium does not operate under the Iranian government.
In an interview with the IRAF, Rezaei said, "Of course, connecting Kandahar to Chabahar is a top priority for the Taliban, besides this Herat will also be connected with the construction of the Milak to Chabahar railway."
He added that aside from the Afghanistan railway network connecting Uzbekistan and Pakistan, other Afghan railways have been designed to meet standards. Additionally, the Herat to Turkmenistan railway will also be upgraded to meet these standards.
The CEO of the Afghanistan Rail Development Consortium emphasised that the Kandahar to Milak and Chabahar railway will be constructed to standards within Afghan territory and will cover part of Afghanistan's exports, including minerals, dried fruits, and oilseeds to countries other than Iran.
The Chabahar port reduces Afghanistan's dependence on Pakistani ports and facilitates India's access to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's deputy economic chief, recently said at a meeting in Kabul that expanding regional relations prevents trade dependence on specific countries.
After the relations between the Taliban and Pakistan soured, Mullah Baradar led a Taliban delegation to Tehran and signed agreements.
Additionally, Indian Prime Minister called Chabahar the "corridor of peace and prosperity" and emphasised on its capacity to increase trade and commerce across the region.
