Q. What is the importance of developing Chabahar Port by India? (UPSC Prelims 2017)
Answer: India will not depend on Pakistan for access to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Notes: The correct answer is [C] India will not depend on Pakistan for access to Afghanistan and Central Asia. The development of Chabahar Port in Iran is a strategic masterstroke for India's connectivity and maritime trade.

• Geopolitics (Statement C – Correct): Historically, India’s land access to Afghanistan and the resource-rich Central Asian Republics was blocked by Pakistan. Chabahar provides an alternative sea-land route, bypassing Pakistan entirely. This is crucial for the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
• African Trade (Statement A – Incorrect): While India is expanding trade with Africa, Chabahar is located in the Gulf of Oman. Trade with Africa primarily utilizes India’s western ports (like Mundra or Mumbai) directly across the Arabian Sea, not via Iran.
• Arab Relations (Statement B – Incorrect): Iran is a Persian, Shia-majority nation, often in geopolitical competition with many Sunni-majority Arab nations (like Saudi Arabia or the UAE). While India maintains balanced ties with both, Chabahar is an Indo-Iranian project, not a tool for strengthening ties with the Arab world.
• Gas Pipeline (Statement D – Incorrect): The proposed pipelines in the region (like TAPI or the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline) have faced numerous hurdles. Pakistan is unlikely to "facilitate and protect" a pipeline from Iraq to India as a result of an Iranian port development.

Chabahar consists of two separate ports, Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari. India’s involvement is specifically focused on the Shahid Beheshti terminal, which serves as a gateway to the Zaranj-Delaram Highway in Afghanistan.