KABUL (SW) – A heated debate over the Wakhan corridor route to China has underlined the importance of this strip in Badakhshan province for Afghanistan.
It has recently been mentioned in social networks that Pakistan wants to have a transport route to other countries through the Wakhan Badakhshan corridor.
Fereydoun Barakzai, former deputy minister of the Ministry of Border and Tribal Affairs, calls the Wakhan corridor as a strategic and important one for Afghanistan in terms of water resources in Asia.
He said that Wakhan separates the western basin of the Amu River from the eastern Tarim basin, and Afghanistan shares a 96-kilometer official border with China in that region.
According to him, in this region, the citizens of Kyrgyz and Ismailia communities protect this region without any discrimination. Barakzai told Salam Watandar that it should not be allowed if these citizens are displaced from this area.
“There are small and large peaks at Safiri point in the Pamir region and at a high altitude, and the last point of the border, which has an altitude of 5210 meters, is called Pavel Sherkov Ski in Tajikistan. China and Afghanistan call the border a triangle. This preservation of this is area is a matter national pride and honor”.
He said that if necessary, the Islamic Emirate should establish a team as soon as possible, including the three departments of detection, supervision, study and investigation by the Ministry of Borders, the Tribal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense to study the situation at Wakhan.
According to him, the Islamic Emirate must consider the reports and proposals of this committee in the agenda of its cabinet and mention this issue in the meeting with the Chinese officials.
Barakzai added that if a committee is formed by the Ministries of Migrants and Returnees, Foreign Affairs, Borders and Tribal Affairs, Public Health and Rural Development to discuss with the citizens of Kyrgyz Afghans, a plan to prevent their migration should be created immediately.
At the same time, Tariq Farhadi, political analyst, emphasized upon the need for preservation of the Wakhan corridor and said that it is strategically important for Afghanistan.
“Wakhan is strategically important and connects Afghanistan with China and the region. It won’t be long before Afghanistan gets out of this situation. If Afghanistan is not recognized, Pakistan will use it for its own benefit. But so far there is a rumor that if the situation continues like this, there is a possibility for that”.
Abdul Wafi Naibzai, an expert on economics,said that Wakhan is very valuable for Afghanistan economically. He said if regional connectivity is to be done, the Wakhan region is very important for four countries, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and China.
“When we say that Afghanistan is the connecting region of the world and the crossroads of Asia. Wakhan is one of the parts of this discussion”, he said.
It should be noted that in the past few days, there have been reports that the Islamic Emirate has agreed with Pakistan to have transport links with China and other countries through the Wakhan route. Despite the fact that the Islamic Emirate rejects such an agreement, there has been a strong reaction to this issue in social networks.
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