Questioning the Centre’s stance on the Chabahar Port project in Iran, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that “continuity in governance” is an “essential reality” that the Narendra Modi Government refuses to acknowledge, and termed the apparent disengagement from the project a strategic setback to India’s outreach in Central Asia.
Mr. Ramesh’s remarks come amid the absence of any allocation for the Chabahar Port in the 2026–27 Union Budget. In a post on X, he asked, “Does this mean that India has exited, or that its investment commitments for the time being have been fulfilled?”
$120 million committed to Chabahar port in Iran completely paid: India
The Ministry of External Affairs has recently informed Parliament that India has already fulfilled its commitment of contributing $120 million for procuring port equipment and that no additional funding is currently due.
“Chabahar, which is about 170 km west of Pakistan’s Gwadar port built by China, is now not on the horizon. This is a second strategic setback to India’s Central Asian diplomacy, coming as it does after India’s closure of its air force base in Ayni near Dushanbe in Tajikistan,” Mr. Ramesh said.
