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As a landlocked country, Afghanistan has been given special privileges by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to access seaports through transit states. Pakistan, as a transit state to Afghanistan, has violated such provisions of international treaties on many counts by blocking transit routes for trade with India and by denying access to its Karachi Port. India's Chabahar Port project in Iran acts as an alternative for Afghanistan to trade and aims to reduce its vulnerability of being dependent on Pakistan. This article attempts to highlight the India–Iran–Afghanistan trilateral understanding in Chabahar as an example of multilateral cooperation in fulfilling commitments made to international regimes, such as the UNCLOS, while bringing out the geopolitical challenges that India faces to complete the Chabahar project. In this context, the aim is to study the applicability of UNCLOS for rights of landlocked states and the importance of the Chabahar Port in protecting Afghanistan's commercial freedom. The article also highlights India's role in the region as it is responsible for implementing the Chabahar Port project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s India has been committed to the completion of the Chabahar Port despite external and internal constraints that slowed the project's development. This article explores the reasons behind Indian interest in the development of the Chabahar Port, and the challenges this project continues to face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anomaly in Pak-Iran relations started due to Afghanistan, and served as a stimulus for Indo-Iranian strategic convergence in the longer run. India's ties with Iran cater to its ambition of circumventing Pakistan in its western backyard. India has been trying to bring Afghanistan into its sphere of influence through Iran, to undermine Pakistan's interest. This has adversely impacted Pak-Iran ties and rejuvenation has become a formidable challenge. The paper argues that Pakistan and Iran have to resurrect mutual strategic relationship. Notwithstanding Chabahar and Gwadar projects, both need to recalibrate their bilateral ties with respect to regional dynamics, to explore the potential for entente, and to neutralize Indian factor in the relations. For Pakistan, Iran provides connectivity to Central Asian Republics (CARs). There is also a great potential for boosting energy trade, developing border security mechanism and a joint plan to address the issue of terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India and Central Asia have shared a geo-cultural affinity and a long tradition of historical contacts that dates back to antiquity. There is convergence of views and interests between the Central Asian Republics and India, on fundamental issues such as; (a) need to maintain social harmony and equilibrium by promoting inter-ethnic harmony and peaceful co-existence; (b) commitment to secularism and democracy and opposition to religious fundamentalism; (c) recognition of threat to regional security and stability from trans-border terrorism, arms and drug trafficking, religious extremism and ethnic-religious secessionism; (d) commitment to the principles of territorial integrity of nation states and inviolability of state borders; (e) promoting economic, scientific and cultural cooperation and (f) ensuring peaceful and tranquil neighbourhood in Afghanistan.The Central Asian Republics, being cautious and wary of dominating influence of the powerful neighbours like Russia and China look towards India as a friend and partner, which does not have any political or territorial ambitions in the region. India is also expected to play a balancing role in the big power games in Central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]