Importance of Wakhan corridor for Pakistan
The Wakhan Corridor is also considered the “roof of the globe” including its altitude of 5400 meters. It is situated in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan region and is bounded on three sides by Pakistan, Tajikistan, and China. The Wakhan Corridor, which is roughly 350 kilometers long and 13 kilometers broad, is bounded to the north by the magnificent Pamir Mountains and the south by the Karakoram Range. It is, in reality, a tiny strip of territory stretching from eastern Afghanistan in the shape of a "pointing finger" or "handle of a cooking pot." The corridor was established in 1893 as a consequence of an agreement between Afghanistan and Great Britain to act as a border between the British Empire in India and the Russian Empire, the Chinese Communist Revolution of 1949, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan for a decade followed by the NATO operations of Afghanistan since 2001, have all played a role.
The total area of the Wakhan corridor is 10,300 square kilometers and the population is around 15,000 individuals. The vast majority of the population makes a living by raising animals. They sell sheep, goats, and yaks to traders from Pakistan or other regions of Afghanistan in exchange for clothes, food, and other requirements that they cannot provide themselves in these extreme high-altitude areas.
A Wakhan Corridor Of Six Brooders
Surrounded by China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is located at central the heart of Asia. With a population of more than 32 million people, a quarter of the country's population resides in big metropolitan areas such as Mazar-e Sharif (pictured), which is located 320 kilometers northwest of Kabul. The Shrine of Hazrat Ali is the country's fourth-largest city, and its highlight is the Shrine of Hazrat Ali — a masterwork of Islamic architecture that, according to local mythology, is the burial place of Ali, the Prophet Muhammad's brother and son-in-law. The shrine is particularly famous for the flocks of white doves that visit it. Locals think that when a little particle of another color appears on a bird's feathers, it will quickly turn pristine white. (Photo courtesy of Simon Urwin)
Is Wakhan Corridor in Pakistan?
We can’t say that clearly, because The Wakhan corridor first is linked to Tashkurgan Tajik County in China via the Wakhan Corridor, a long, thin strip that connects Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan area to Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Wakhan Importance of Pakistan
Why does Wakhan Corridor be important for Pakistan?
Wakhan Corridor has so much value for Pakistan due to the Wakhan Corridor having enormous strategic and economic importance for Pakistan. It has the potential to benefit Pakistan as a transition economy by providing thousands of employments, producing foreign cash, and, most essential, improving regional cooperation and collaboration through infrastructural development. The Wakhan Corridor, which borders China and the resource-rich Central Asian republics, can serve as an ideal transit route to transfer such resources between Pakistan and China.
According to recent research, Central Asian Republics (CARs) and Azerbaijan contain 7.5 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, Kazakhstan holds 22 billion barrels of oil, and Turkmenistan has 37 billion barrels of oil and 60-80 billion cubic meters of gas on its own. Furthermore, Afghanistan is one of the top copper and oil resource holders. As a result, the connection of CARs, Azerbaijan, China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan via strategic corridors has the potential to be a great economic, social, and power and influence not only on the territory but also on the global level.
Why Wakhan corridor border should be part of Pakistan?
As The Wakhan Corridor is also called the corridor of power, and A cold War can be observed easily for this region among the many countries, But As far As Study and new research findings and measurement it is very clear that Wakhan Corridor should be the Part of Pakistan, As China moves on with its enormous and costly Belt Road Initiative (BRI), the area at the tip of the Wakhan Corridor in the Little Pamirs will become a vital crossing site for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Pakistani port of Gwadar represents the start of this corridor, while the tip of the Wakhan marks the entrance point for CPEC into China, which is the center point and consider the game changer of Pakistan and China Economy.
By building military installations and funding infrastructure projects in this region, Beijing not only cements its participation in the fight against terrorism but also gains a permanent foothold and greater control over regional economics and security.
Let us examine the different aspects of the underlying wealth linked with the Wakhan Corridor that have the potential to revolutionize the economic, financial, cultural, and strategic fortunes of all stakeholders, particularly and especially for Pakistan:
1) In 2009, Afghanistan and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the building of a road over the part of Wakhan Corridor called Wakhjir Pass, that would connect the largely constructed Karakoram Highway from Kashgar in Xinjiang to Islamabad. This road would provide the most cost-effective way of extending CPEC to Central Asia while also providing access to the warm waters of Gwadar.
2)The road through the Wakhan Corridor and accompanying Chinese projects would provide several benefits to Pakistan, including increased commerce with China and involvement in natural resources. China is already a leading export supplier of Afghanistan, with contracts worth US$ 7.4 billion for mineral and copper extraction from the country. Then, under the data connection movement, there are initiatives such as the Digital Silk Road and the fiber - optic connection with China via the Wakhan Corridor.
3) Furthermore, Wakhan’s Silk road across Wakhjir Pass would undoubtedly pave the door for shorter pipeline connections between Central Asia and China, enhancing energy supply assurance while strengthening Central Asian economies.
4) At the closest point of the Wakhan Corridor, Pakistan and Tajikistan are only 13 kilometers apart. In comparison to present alternatives, it may consequently function not only as a north-south corridor but also as an east-west route by changing this geographical buffer into a bridge linking Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. Pakistan would have easy and direct access to the mineral-rich Central Asian region as well as the China-Eurasian commercial corridor. Mutual trust was demonstrated in 2016, when China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan launched a Quadrilateral Partnership and Coordination Framework in Urumqi to collaboratively tackle terrorism.
5) Once again, all indirectly or directly beneficiaries of the Wakhan Corridor's financial benefits, such as Central Asian states, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, are already involved in numerous initiatives programs such as TAP, CASA-1000, QTTA, and CAREC CPEC and many other economical plans.
Should Pakistan ask Afghanistan to lease or borrow the Wakhan Corridor?
Wakhan Corridor is, as an opportunity for Pakistan, Pakistan must also approach Afghanistan for the leasing or borrowing of some Afghan territory, which appears tough at the present given the hostile relationship between the two neighbors. Pakistan must also ask Afghanistan to lease or borrow some Afghan territory, which appears tough at the present given the hostile relationship between the two neighbors. The potential option is to take the road under China's B&R plan to gain Chinese backing. Having said that, it remains a challenging goal to achieve.
The United States is also attempting to obstruct China's Westward policy since the state is challenging its dominance in a variety of industries. China is collaborating with neighboring countries through political and commercial channels to boost regional connectivity and to extend CPEC to Pakistan's neighbors. On the other hand, in the aftermath of losing regional power, Washington is doing everything it can to discredit the program.