Presented in Islamabad in 2024 to Tajik officials, the proposal asks Tajikistan to build its transit future on logistics infrastructure that is still aspirational at Gwadar, while Iran’s Chahbahar already has functioning frameworks in place for precisely that corridor.

No Shipping Lines, No Feeder Vessels

The most basic requirement for any transit hub is regular, predictable calls from international shipping lines. Gwadar has struggled for years to attract them. No major international carrier operates a regular service to Gwadar. There are no dedicated feeder vessels for trans-shipment, which means cargo bound for landlocked Tajikistan would have to move through a port that cannot reliably receive it in the first place. Chahbahar, backed by India’s infrastructure investment and Iran’s existing relationships with Central Asian carriers, has functioning shipping agreements and established cargo handling. The logistical gap between the two ports is not a........

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