203 Margalla Papers 2018 GEOSTRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE OF WAKHAN CORRIDOR FOR AFGHANISTAN, CHINA AND PAKISTAN Dr. Muhammad Munir and Dr. Muhammad Shafiq * Abstract The Wakhan Corridor, a narrow strip of territory in the Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan, is situated at the crossroads of four countries: China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The corridor has great historic value being part of ancient Silk Road. Even today it has great potential for regional connectivity and tourism. The Wakhan territory is considered very peaceful having no law and order problem. If a road is built across Wakhan, it will enhance trade and business activities in the region, especially for Pakistan, Central Asia and Afghanistan. It could offer a shortest trade route for Pakistan to reach Central Asia and for China to reach Afghanistan. In this backdrop the paper examines the possibilities of reviving Wakhan corridor by building roads infrastructure. The study highlights the geostrategic significance of Wakhan Corridor in the context of changing regional situation. It also discusses various challenges in undertaking this proposal. Keywords: Wakhan Corridor, CPEC, Wakhjir Pass, Central Asia. Introduction hina Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is providing great opportunities and avenues for regional connectivity and economic cooperation. As a flagship project of BRI, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has entered in the second phase of implementation. Meanwhile China, Nepal and India are exploring the possibilities of cooperation in building Trans-Himalayan corridor and jointly benefiting from mountains' resources such as water, energy and tourism. Like Trans-Himalayan cooperation, Trans Wakhan corridor cooperation is another opportunity that requires a debate on the prospects and challenges in the operationalisation of this corridor. Geographically the Wakhan Corridor is unique as it is situated at the crossroads of four countries: China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The corridor is a narrow strip of territory in the Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan. In south it shares a 300 km with Pakistan, on its northeast and west direction it has over 260 km boarder with Tajikistan, and 74 km with China. The Wakhan Corridor appeared as a bridge among the nations with great mountains ranges on the Silk Route. During the * Dr. Muhammad Munir, Assistant Professor, Department of Strategic Studies, National Defence University, Islamabad and Dr. Muhammad Shafiq, Assistant Professor, Humanities Department, COMSATS University, Islamabad (Vehari Campus). C