India, Oct. 13 -- Had the famous novelist, Charles Dickens, the author of 'A Tale of Two Cities,' been alive today, and decided to write another historical fiction, the title of this saga would be 'A Tale of Three Ports.' The ports in question are along the Arabian Sea coastline. They include Pasni and Gwadar in Pakistan, and Chabahar in Iran. They lie almost next to each other, as if in a straight line. Dickens would have honed in on the leaders and businesspersons in the host nations, apart from those in India, China, and the US, as his characters.

The five nations are involved in ongoing business efforts, and engaged in geopolitical games to influence trade in the regional waters. They vigorously and aggressively forge and reforge all...