Shiwar News – Following Mohsen Zanganeh's controversial remarks about allocating 110 hectares of land at Chabahar Port to Afghanistan, the Iranian parliamentarian and member of the Parliament's Planning and Budget Commission has now put forward another proposal during a visit to Herat for economic cooperation with Taliban-governed Afghanistan. The proposal raises serious questions about the economic policies of the Islamic Republic and the interests of the Iranian people, particularly those of Balochistan.
Mohsen Zanganeh has proposed that Iran extend an oil pipeline to the Afghan border to supply the country with crude oil. In return, Afghan investors and traders would establish refineries, produce petroleum products and potentially export petrol and other refined products back to Iran.
This proposal comes at a time when Iran itself is one of the largest crude oil producers in the region, while its citizens have faced years of economic hardship, rising living costs and problems related to fuel supply.
The fundamental question is: why does the Islamic Republic propose exporting crude oil and developing refining capacity in Afghanistan instead of investing in refinery development, job creation and stronger economic infrastructure in deprived regions such as Balochistan?
While the people of Balochistan struggle with widespread unemployment, poverty, inadequate industrial infrastructure and economic deprivation, an Iranian parliamentarian is proposing a project that could transfer investment and employment opportunities in the oil-refining sector across the border.
Earlier remarks by the same parliamentarian regarding the allocation of 110 hectares of land in Chabahar to Afghanistan, without transparent explanations of the legal and economic terms of the arrangement, had already raised questions and concerns about the rights and interests of Balochistan's indigenous population.
The question now is: after the proposal to allocate land in Chabahar, is crude oil next? Are Iran's resources and economic capacities to be directed towards projects in which people living in deprived regions have no clearly defined share of the benefits?
Shiwar News emphasises that economic and trade cooperation with neighbouring countries is not, in itself, a matter for criticism. What requires accountability is the lack of transparency surrounding the details of these proposals, their economic benefits and the role of the people of Balochistan in decisions directly affecting the region's economic future.
Until the financial details, investment arrangements, conditions for oil transportation and mutual benefits of the project are clarified, no definitive judgement can be made about its potential gains or losses. Nevertheless, members of parliament must explain why such proposals are not accompanied by a clear plan to develop similar industrial capacities and employment opportunities in Balochistan.
The people of Balochistan have the right to know why new proposals are being made for economic development across the border, while industrial development, employment and the ability of local communities to benefit from the economic resources of their own land remain unanswered questions.