Kashmir as India’s gateway to Eurasian opportunity

Why in the News

Mehbooba Mufti, President of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), argues India should gradually restore Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as a trade bridge to Central Asia by reviving historic routes, to create jobs for its youth. The proposal tests whether a frontier managed for security can also carry trade.

What is the gateway idea, and what is an economic corridor?

1. Gateway idea: Kashmir and Ladakh would again link India overland to Central Asia, reviving Silk Road caravan routes that also reached Tibet and carried ideas and skills, not just goods.
2. Shah-i-Hamadan: Tradition links Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani (Shah-i-Hamadan) with the arrival of Persian and Central Asian craftsmen who enriched Kashmir’s handicrafts.
3. Economic corridor: A trade route built up with roads, warehouses and services, much as shops spring up along a busy highway.
4. The takeaway: The author sees location, more than rivers, minerals or tourism, as the region’s most underused asset, because connectivity once built its economy.

Why does the author tie connectivity to Kashmir’s youth?

1. Demographic dividend: A large young population boosts growth, a demographic dividend, only if it is educated, skilled and employed. Otherwise it breeds disillusionment.
2. Contrast with China: Low fertility is ageing China fast, so India’s young workforce is an advantage, but only for a window of opportunity.
3. Aspiration and reality gap: Smartphones show youth how the world lives, but jobs lag college access, so protests erupt over recruitment and exam paper leaks.
4. Kashmir’s added burden: Conflict and economic isolation have narrowed opportunities, and young Kashmiris are treated as security liabilities, not assets.

What does the author propose?

1. Beyond the border lines: Policy should look past the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
2. Diplomatic road map: Reopening routes needs sustained talks with neighbours, so diplomacy must accompany roads.
3. Pakistan and China tracks: She seeks trust-building steps and trade with Pakistan, and talks with China on routes across the Himalayas where security allows.
4. Phased pilot corridors: Revive historic routes one at a time, starting where conditions are best, then widen them.
5. Northern economic gateway: The region would open Central Asian markets to Indian firms and draw investment and tourism.

Can security and connectivity work together?

1. Security acknowledged: The author accepts security matters but denies it must oppose connectivity.
2. Interdependence argument: Regulated connectivity makes neighbours depend on each other’s trade, giving them reasons to keep the peace.
3. Land versus air links: A land corridor spreads jobs in transport, warehousing and hospitality along its length. Air links concentrate gains at a few airports.
4. Enterprise over conflict: The author urges seeing Kashmir through enterprise, echoing former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee‘s call to abandon beaten paths.

Challenges

1. Misuse of border trade: Cross-LoC trade was exploited for smuggling. Eg. India suspended it in April 2019.
2. Cross-border terrorism: Infiltration from Pakistan keeps agencies wary of any LoC opening. Eg. The Pahalgam attack, April 2025.
3. Contested territory: Routes to Central Asia cross Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which India claims. Eg. India opposes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor there.
4. Trust deficit with China: The eastern Ladakh standoff left the LAC militarised. Eg. The Galwan clash, June 2020.

Way Forward

1. Regulated pilot trade point: The Ministry of Home Affairs should reopen one border trade point with scanners, registered traders and digital tracking.
2. Structured dialogue with China: Use the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on border affairs to test Ladakh trade proposals.
3. Skills for corridor jobs: Train local youth in logistics, hospitality and customs work.

Conclusion

Kashmir’s jobs question and India’s frontier security turn on one choice: whether borders held for defence can also carry regulated trade. What to watch is whether any trade point in the region reopens, and whether talks with Pakistan move beyond crisis management.

Government Initiatives for Connectivity with Central Asia

1. Chabahar Port: India Ports Global Limited operates the Shahid Beheshti terminal at this Iranian port, India’s route to Afghanistan and Central Asia bypassing Pakistan.
2. International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC): A 7,200 km ship, rail and road network links Mumbai to Russia through Iran and Central Asia.
3. Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline: This gas pipeline has moved slowly. Its Afghan section has been under construction since 2024, but the Pakistan and India legs face security and India-Pakistan hurdles.
4. India-Central Asia Summit: A leaders’ forum with the five Central Asian republics on trade, connectivity and security.

Matching Previous Year Question

“[2026] Ships from which of the following countries have to cross the Strait of Hormuz to reach out to the Indian Ocean? 1. Bahrain 2. Syria 3. Qatar 4. Egypt (a) 1 and 2 (b) 1 and 3 (c) 2 and 3 (d) 3 and 4 Answer: B”