The presentation presents a brief comparative analysis of the Gwadar and Chahbahar Port. The data is valid up to May 2019.

1. Comparative Analysis of
Chahbahar Port and Gwadar Port
Maira- Ayesha- Shizza

3. Gwadar Port
• Gwadar Port is a warm-water, deep-sea port situated on the Arabian
Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan.
• Gwadar port would connect three regions, i.e. Central Asia, South
Asia and Middle East.
• Gwadar Port is located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, just outside
the Strait of Hormuz, near the key shipping routes in and out of the
Persian Gulf.
• It is situated on the eastern bay of a natural hammerhead-shaped
Peninsula protruding into the Arabian Sea from the coastline.

4. Gwadar Port
• The surrounding region is home to around two-thirds of the world’s
oil reserves.
• It is also the nearest warm-water seaport to the landlocked, but
energy rich, Central Asian Republics and landlocked Afghanistan.
• Gwadar is strategically located on the western end of Baluchistan
coast on the opposite end of the Gulf of Oman which is an important
route for oil tankers bound for Japan and western countries out of
Gulf.

5. Gwadar Port
• Since outflow of goods from western China and Central Asia reaching
Gwadar will pass through this overland trade route, Pakistan could
earn millions of dollars a year in terms of port and cargo handling
charges and also as freight charges for import cargoes and export
goods.

7. Chabahar Port
• The current major port of Iran, Bandar Abbas, is located at the mouth
of the Strait of Hormuz and within close proximity to the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) and Oman, which is heavily patrolled by various
nations to protect the sea-lanes transporting precious oil from the
Middle East to various countries around the globe.
• More significantly, Chabahar is located only 72 km west of Gwadar
port in Pakistan, which is being developed jointly by Pakistan and
China as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

8. Chabahar Port
• Chabahar port is strategically located on the south-eastern coast of
Iran.
• The port has been declared a Free Trade Zone by Iran. It is situated
about 70 km west of the equally important Chinese-funded Gwadar
port of Pakistan.
• The geographical position of this port is well suited for movement of
trade to/from Afghanistan, a land locked country.

9. Chabahar Port: Importance
• For iran
Allow Iran to engage with the world after embargo
• For Afghanistan
Its dependency in Karachi ( Pakistan ) will be decreased
• For India
The only route to link with strait of humor and indian ocean directly
Will bypass Pakistan’s Karachi port

10. Chabahar Port: Importance
For India
New Delhi has systematically cultivated its strategic and economic relations with
Tehran since the beginning of the twenty-first century. India and Iran signed a
defense pact in November 2003 and revised it in 2009.
• The only route to link with strait of hurmuz and indian ocean directly
• Will bypass Pakistan’s Karachi port
• To access Afghanistan and Central Asian states
• To decrease the influence of china in Arabian ocean
• Travelling and transportation costs reduced

11. Chabahar Port: Importance
• Chabahar port will boost India's access to Iran, the key gateway to the
International North-South Transport Corridor
• India’s relation strengthened with Iran by becoming a militarily ally of
India
• Iran plans to turn the Chabahar port into a transit hub for immediate
access to markets in the northern part of the Indian Ocean and in
Central Asia
• Chabahar port is important for India’s energy security.

13. Gwadar Port: Importance
To China
• Through Gwadar, China is planning to enter the Arabian Sea and
expand its maritime silk route. The Gwadar port is built for carrying
greater tonnage of cargoes through the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC).
• Even if the strait of Malacca is blocked by the USA,9and under Indian
influence) gwadar will be a good alternative for Chinese trade in the
Indian Ocean and to Western Asia.
• Gwadar can act as an alternative route to Indian Ocean or South
China Sea routes.

14. Gwadar Port: Importance
To China
• It will enable China to more safely and reliably import oil. Currently,
sixty percent of China’s oil must be transported by ship from the
Persian Gulf to the only commercial port in China,(Shanghai) which
takes around 2/3 months. Hence time loss and distance will be
reduced.
• Competitive advantage over UAE in terms of trade and economy as it
will be a gate to the Strait of Hormuz directly, by improving the exiting
links to the land-locked Caspian Region

15. Gwadar Port: Importance
To Pakistan
• It would provide foreign reserves and free trade zones and special
economic zones (SEZ) that would help in the economic prosperity of
Baluchistan and Pakistan
• Pakistan will be able to explore minerals, hydrocarbons, oil and gas
resources of Central Asian Region
• It will help Pakistan to monitor the Sea Lines of Communications
(SLOCs) originating from the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz
• Gwadar will boost up the co-operation of Pakistan with other
countries in the Oil and Energy sectors.

16. Why Gwadar trumps Chabahar?
Chabahar is a geographical reach for New Delhi, since it is not in the Indian
Ocean Region (IOR)
In Chabahar India would be a guest state, whose borders and territorial waters
are at a much greater distance.
Moreover, the vessels transporting goods to Chabahar would also be subject to
the active monitoring of the Pakistani Navy.
On the contrary, Gwadar is not only developed by China — which has a wealth
of experience in overseas infrastructure projects — but the government of
Pakistan has handed over the control of port to China.
Tehran won’t do the same, at least judging by the existing agreement with India.

17. Why Gwadar trumps Chabahar?
• After Chabahar in Iran, the next stop for Indian goods will be Afghanistan, and
then subsequently to the Central Asian states.
• Although India has enjoyed cordial terms with the successive post-2001
governments of Afghanistan together with its $2 billion investment there, the
security situation is inadequate in major areas.
• Besides, the Taliban, the major insurgent group in Afghanistan has no love for
India, since the latter historically supported the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.
• Gwadar too is witnessing security issues, since Balochistan province is subject
to low-scale belligerency. Still, the scope and extent of separatist brawls in the
area have decreased in recent years while many militant groups have
voluntarily surrendered to security agencies.

18. Why Gwadar trumps Chabahar?
• Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed that Iran “will not
cooperate with America over the regional crisis, Their aims in the region are
180 degrees opposed to Iran’s.”
• Given this scenario, the prospect of lifting of all sanctions on Iran is again in
doubt. The uncertainty regarding sanctions could undeniably have negative
consequences for the India-Iran Chabahar deal.
• Gwadar has no such problems. There are no restrictions on China’s investment
anywhere nor is Pakistan subject to any kind of UN sanctions.
• Furthermore, China holds veto power on the UN Security Council — thus even
in the case of a proposed resolution that could impact Gwadar, China could
veto the move and continue its economic ventures with Pakistan.

19. Why Gwadar trumps Chabahar?
• Pakistan and China are vigorously working together on the $46 billion
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which culminates in
Gwadar. China would not want such a huge investment going to
waste.
• Thus there is every possibility that Beijing and Islamabad join hands
to obstruct the political and economic maze of Afghanistan, so as to
obstruct India’s dreams of reaching Central Asia.
• Pakistan could also see an India-Iran covert partnership to cause
dysfunction in Gwadar, but Tehran would likely refrain as it is trying to
pacify relations with its neighbors and the international community in
the wake of 2015 agreement.
• Any entanglement with Pakistan would also endanger the eastern
border of Iran.

20. Why Gwadar trumps Chabahar?
• There is no economic competition between Pakistan and China.
Chinese investment in Pakistan is also aimed at boosting trade with
the rest of Asia, and Pakistan won’t become a hurdle in China’s quest
to reach the Middle East and Persian Gulf .
• However, the Iran-India dynamic is different. After the July 2015
agreement, Tehran is trying its level best to come into the mainstream
international arena by accelerating trade in order to put its jammed
economic wheel back on track. Iran will not allow India’s Central Asian
dream to come true at the cost of Iranian interests.

21. Conclusion
• Whether Gwadar or Chabahar, the developments of both ports can
assist millions of people.
• Gwadar may well hold a slight edge because of its importance and
utility, but it can produce best results only when there are no major
regional threats. The same goes for Chabahar.
• Economic cooperation and integration is what’s needed in South Asia
and even beyond. That, however, demands enhanced cooperation
among all involved parties and the dissolution of all outstanding
strategic and political misunderstandings