The Sane idea of Afghan rulers

According to the media, the Afghan interim government is preparing to formally join China’s huge ‘Belt and Road’ infrastructure initiative and an Afghan technical team will visit Bejing for talks, and access scopes for Afghanistan’s inclusion into multi-billion connectivity, growth and development initiative.

The Afghan commerce Minister said that the Islamic Emirate will officially request China to allow the Afghan side to be a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project under President Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Nature has strategically placed the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on the junction of South, Central and Western Asia. The landlocked Afghan territory has been deprived of the huge dividends attached to ocean waters and the blessing associated with coastal shores yet the Afghan nation has been gifted with tremendous mineral deposits, copper, iron ore, oil and gas reserves along with forest and vegetation.

The Afghan nation largely could not exploit its human and material resources, due to unceasing domestic rivalries, foreign invasions coupled with political instability and natural disasters throughout the past. There had been a little calm in the country’s volatile landscapes after the Taliban took over the government in mid-2021, however, the internal situation was still marred by the controversial governance and political exclusion. So far, the foreign front remained hostile to the Islamic Emirate due to domestic policies and no formal recognition from the rest of the world including friends and foes.

Historically, Afghanistan plays a crucial role in regional connectivity between South and Central Asia due to its strategic location. Its position as a land bridge between these two regions has the potential to facilitate trade, energy transit, and cultural exchange. Afghan territory can serve as a vital transit route for goods moving between South Asia, particularly India, Pakistan, Central Asia and the Middle East through Karachi and Gwadar ports and CPEC road/ railway infrastructure, whilst Iran’s Chabahar Port also connects Afghanistan with the rest of the world.

Afghanistan can act as a conduit for the transport of energy resources, such as oil, gas, and electricity from Central Asia to South Asia and beyond. The regional nations including Pakistan, China, Iran and Central Asian Republics have endured an unceasing wait for a resolution to the Afghan issue and improvement in the security situation to implement their multi-billion infrastructure and energy projects such as Central Asia-South Asia (CASA)-1000 electricity transmission line, TAPI gas pipeline, extension of the CPEC, and Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan railway line projects. In fact, continued conflict and security concerns seriously hindered all those projects as the political stability and peace in Afghanistan are of utmost importance for the smooth and successful implementation of all those endeavours.
Currently, the Afghan authorities have decided to join the race for economic development and regional integration to build their national capacity, establish industrial infrastructure and realize their dream for a peaceful and prosperous future.

Recently, Afghanistan and 34 other countries agreed to work together on the digital economy and green development on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum, while Kabul’s inclusion into CPEC and the wider Belt and Road Initiative would open up more avenues for bilateral and multilateral cooperation within the region and beyond. In fact, Peace and cooperation are the prima facie for seizing opportunities and unlocking potential, so the Afghan rulers must focus on these aspects which would be the main pillar for consolidating their rule, realizing peace and peddling economic activities in war-torn nation.