REGION
The Pakistan connection
It has long been understood that Pakistan forms a crucial corridor between South, West and Central Asia. More connecting links are now proposed, including plans for a railroad from Kashgar in China to Havelian in Pakistan, through the tricky terrain of the Karakoram Range. The Trans-Karakoram Railroad, which would be the very first rail line across the Himalaya, can be expected to boost trade ties between China and Pakistan.
This proposal has the establishment in New Delhi paying attention, as the railroad is to go through Gilgit-Baltistan, bordering Jammu & Kashmir in the south. South Block is concerned that the ever-closer partnership between China and Pakistan will have strategic and military implications for India. Beijing, however, says the link is necessary, particularly after landslides this year disrupted the Karakoram Highway.
The China-Pakistan railroad project will be facilitated by the declaration of Kashgar as a special economic zone, a policy approach that has injected new life into five other Chinese towns in the past. With the Trans-Karakoram Railroad in order, this could provide abundant market for Pakistani exports, while the bigger picture is the potential extension of this railway to Central Asia and even Europe.