Wakhan Corridor: A Strategic Gateway For Pakistan’s Regional Connectivity And Security

The Wakhan Corridor, a historic passage between Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and Central Asia, is vulnerable to terrorist infiltration. Securing or leasing it could boost Pakistan’s direct trade access to Central Asia

Far from the buzz of political talks, the Wakhan Corridor runs like a narrow land passage between Afghanistan and the surrounding countries of Pakistan, China, and Central Asia. Its role as an unregulated and porous gateway cannot be minimised. However, it remains a vulnerable entry point for Afghan-based terrorist groups. It provides militants with easy access to Pakistan, China, and Central Asia. If not checked, this remote passage could go on to become a key transit hub for extremist organisations on the regional level, contributing to destabilising the entire region.

The origins of the Wakhan Corridor lie deep within the geopolitics of the colonial era. The Wakhan Corridor was carved out in the 19th century as the British tried to create a buffer zone between the British colonial empire in India and the Russian Empire. This decision is still in play in the region’s dynamics today. The British created this division, forcing them to part Company with Central Asia, this cut created a chasm between Pakistan and Central Asia leaving the full economic and regional potential unrealised.

The Wakhan region has always historically been linked to what is now Pakistan apart from when it was forced into being the arbitrary land border of Post-First World War Soviet Russia. Wakhan was an area of deep economic, cultural, and familial ties with the tribes and communities across the border. Such a shared history reminds us that colonial interventions have deeply scarred the region which continues to hinder regional cooperation and economic exchange.

In recent times, the Wakhan Corridor has become a focus point of regional instability. The remote location and the absence of any sort of proper security infrastructure in the area lead to it becoming increasingly susceptible to exploitation by terrorist organisations. In particular, through the passage, militants can readily get into Afghanistan, and from there reach Pakistan, China, and the Central Asian states. The unregulated movement of extremists through the Wakhan Corridor also presents itself as a very high risk to regional security, as the groups can spread their influence through this corridor.

It is not just a matter of national security concern for Pakistan but also for the corridor – which is why it is struggling to untangle the mess. It has global implications. China’s Belt and Road Initiative stretching through Central Asia raises the possibility that economic and strategic interests will be compromised by instability spilling out from the Wakhan Corridor. Central Asia is also threatened with the possibility of becoming a center for the spread of extremism.