The famous Wakhan Corridor, a rugged and desolate mountainous region of the Pamir, Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges of Afghanistan, has assumed the centre stage for deliberation with the writers, strategists, political analysts and international relations experts these days. The mainstream media as well social media are abuzz with speculations about China\’s growing interest in Wakhan Corridor which is reportedly coming on the heels of a marathon negotiations with Taliban’s government.
This kind of news making the rounds in the media has sparked a debate regarding China\’s reawakened interest in the strategically positioned narrow strip, more commonly known as ‘Wakhan Corridor’ located contiguous to Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province and bordering China\’s Xinjiang region, a Muslim-majority province of China, Tajikistan\’s province Gorno-Badakhshan, an autonomous province of Tajikistan in the north, and Pakistan’s KP province.
Viewed from \’Darwaza Pass\’, from Boroghil side at an altitude of around 14000 ft, the Corridor bordering Tajikistan can be clearly seen through the naked eye without using any optical aid. Way back in 1985, I got the opportunity to pay an official visit to Darwaza Pass during my month-long stay at Chitral Scouts’ post in Boroghil Chitral. The Soviet army\’s strong military posts built in a vast meadow at the foot of the Wakhan Corridor after occupying Wakhan region following Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 could also be seen.
The unconfimed reports suggest that the alleged move on the part of China to develop Wakhan Corridor as a strategic and trade route has raised alarm in the West, causing sleepless nights for the US and its strategic allies including India who feel intimidated by China’s ambitious connectivity project Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its subsidiary flagship project China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
This strategically important Corridor, which is called the ‘chicken neck’ of Afghanistan due to its highly intriguing topography, is a narrow strip of land located in one of the world\’s highest, remotest and toughest mountain ranges, and which once served as a buffer zone between the erstwhile Russian Empire and British Indian Empire. As the time went by, this desolate, barren and rugged wilderness but strategically important Corridor became an integral part of Afghanistan, and is presently under the active control of Taliban regime.
The Corridor is around 350 km long and 13 to 65 km wide, thus presenting a chicken-neck shape. This sparsely populated strip with around 15,000 population, predominantly Ismaili Muslims, spreads over a huge area of around 10,000 square kilometers. It may be mentioned here that these are tentative figures with minor variations on both plus and minus side.
The Corridor is strategically important for China as it offers great opportunities for trade and tourism between China and other countries, including Central Asian Republics, Middle East and a few European countries. During ancient and medieval times, the Corridor fell on a major trading route between Kabul and Kashgar. It made an important part of the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between China, South Asia and Europe.
The Corridor connects Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province with China’s Xinjiang province, a Muslim majority restive region. This is the reason that China is reportedly evincing keen interest in the Corridor because it can provide a trade link with Central Asian Republics, Middle Eastern countries and onward with Europe, thus having all the potential to become a corridor of power in the future.
According to reports emanating from Western media, China is seriously mulling over reviving the ancient Silk Road which once served as a trade route between China and other parts of the world, particularly the Central Asian Republics known for their abundant energy resources and mineral wealth. China’s recent interest in the Corridor has increased manifold mainly due to its flagship road network connectivity project, ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’ (CPEC), as according to reports, China wants to extend CPEC to Wakhan Corridor via the heartland of Afghanistan which Taliban have reportedly consented to. If it happens, it will provide an easy access to Central Asian Republics and onward to Middle Eastern countries and Europe as mentioned earlier.
According to reports coming from horse’s mouth, Taliban regime has expressed its intention to develop Wakhan Corridor in collaboration with China as a strategic route connecting Afghanistan to China through CPEC. This strategic route is expected to establish a direct link between Afghanistan and China, thereby greatly enhancing bilateral trade opportunities. It may be mentioned here that Taliban regime has already announced its intention to join China’s ambitious connectivity project ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI), thus setting the stage for developing Wakhan Corridor as a strategic route. The Taliban government has underscored the geostrategic significance of the Corridor, as it’s positioned at a pivotal intersection of regional interests, potentially influencing the global power dynamics.