{"id":34317,"date":"2018-10-30T16:55:43","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T11:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=34317"},"modified":"2018-10-30T16:55:43","modified_gmt":"2018-10-30T11:25:43","slug":"all-the-roads-that-lead-to-kabul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/all-the-roads-that-lead-to-kabul\/","title":{"rendered":"All the roads that lead to Kabul:\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/todays-paper\/tp-opinion\/all-the-roads-that-lead-to-kabul\/article19935657.ece\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All the roads that lead to Kabul<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Context:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India must expand its development role further and enhance its security profile in Afghanistan<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Afghan President Ashraf Ghani\u2019s recent visit to New Delhi came at a time when the Trump administration\u2019s <\/span><b>South Asia policy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has underscored India\u2019s centrality in the \u2018Af-Pak\u2019 theatre.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Washington plans to increase its military footprint in Afghanistan; it is tightening the screws on Pakistan for supporting terrorism as an instrument of state policy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both Washington and Kabul now view New Delhi as a player with considerable leverage over the evolving regional dynamic.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Outcomes of recent visit:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India and Afghanistan deliberated on <\/span><b>regional counter-terror efforts<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and emphasized on <\/span><b>enhancing New Delhi\u2019s defence assistance to Kabul<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> .<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mr Ghani \u00a0also praised the new United States (U.S) strategy \u00a0calling it a \u2018<\/span><b>game \u2013 changer\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as it aims at <\/span><b>ensuring a regional approach to fighting terrorism<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including making Pakistan act against \u201c<\/span><b>state sponsorship of sanctuaries<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d along the border with Afghanistan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both the nations emphasized that bilateral and sincere regional cooperation is important for peace, security and stability in the region.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both sides welcomed the opportunities created by the new US strategy for bringing peace and security in Afghanistan,&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Afghanistan\u2019s\u2019 reaction on Pakistan:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He suggest that Afghanistan would restrict Pakistan&#8217;s access to Central Asia if it is not given access to India through the <\/span><b>China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> He referred to the Indo-Afghan air corridor as an effective response to Pakistan\u2019s attempt to deny India and Afghanistan any direct access.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He also strongly rejected Islamabad\u2019s claims that India was using Afghanistan as a base to destabilise Pakistan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mr. Ghani also rejected \u201cPakistan-managed\u201d efforts to broker peace in his country, and in line with this India too has emphasised that it believes peace efforts in Afghanistan should be \u201cAfghan-led\u201d and \u201cAfghan-controlled\u201d.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Meeting with Tillerson<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both India and Afghanistan expressed an appreciation for the U.S.\u2019s new <\/span><b>South Asia policy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, as Secretary of State <\/span><b>Rex Tillerson<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> continued his travels in the region.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President Ghani and \u00a0Prime Minister Modi following the new U.S. Strategy, agreed that the strategy is an <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">opportunity for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan &amp; South Asia; expansion of cooperation between the countries and the region<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Pros of the new South Asia policy:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>More military deployment in Afghanistan<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The decision of U.S accompanying South Asian countries in throwing out terrorism from the region provides for a significant change in the <\/span><b>nature of military peace.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The security scenario will result into <\/span><b>sophistication of military operations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The new strategy will be dictated by \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the conditions on the ground\u201d not \u201carbitrary timetables<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. \u00a0Such a move is necessary to <\/span><b>avoid the collapse<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the US-backed government in Kabul.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>India playing an important role:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The third part of the Trump strategy is <\/span><b>his outreach to India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, saying a \u201ccritical part\u201d of his administration\u2019s South Asia policy is to further develop the US\u2019s strategic partnership with India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">U.S expects from India to play a greater role with the credible image it holds in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has also in return nodded in the friendly manner.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mr. Trump\u2019s South Asia policy is a remarkable turnaround for Washington which had wanted to keep India out of its \u2018Af-Pak\u2019 policy for long for fear of offending Rawalpindi.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India was viewed as part of the problem and now the Trump administration is arguing that India should be viewed as part of a solution to the Afghan imbroglio.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a welcome change and holds significant implications for India, Afghanistan and the wider region.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>India \u2013 Afghanistan relations<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Defense Cooperation:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India provides training to Afghanistan military officers in Indian military academies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2014 India signed an agreement with Afghanistan and Russia. According to this agreement Russia will provide all military equipment needed by Afghanistan and India will pay for it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has directly provided three Russian-made Mi-25 attack helicopters to Afghan Air Force in 2015.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Cooperation in fighting Terrorism<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India wants a democratic and peaceful Afghanistan for stability in its relations. But the country faces terror threats in the following ways \u2013<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Afghani Taliban <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is a major terrorist group. They are attempting to take over the democratically elected Government in Afghanistan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Al Qaeda <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and many other terrorist groups like <\/span><b>Haqqani Network<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are very active in Afghanistan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The recent rise of <\/span><b>Islamic State <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">terrorists may have spillover effects on India in future.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Economic Cooperation:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is the second largest destination for Afghanistan exports.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Afghanistan possess many <\/span><b>minerals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like gold, iron, copper etc. Indian companies have invested in its mining sector<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than 100 companies have invested in various sectors of its economy including agriculture, communications, Information Technology etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The proposed <\/span><b>TAPI (Turkmenistan Afghanistan Pakistan and India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) pipeline passes through Afghanistan. It is for importing Natural Gas from Turkmenistan to India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India, Iran and Afghanistan have jointly signed a trade deal. The deal aims at investment in <\/span><b>Chabahar port<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for accessing landlocked Afghanistan by circumventing Pakistan.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Why is Afghanistan important to India?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Pipeline Routes<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The country is located strategically adjacent to the oil and gas rich Middle East &amp; Central Asia giving it an important geostrategic location.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Afghanistan becomes an attractive real estate for dominance on the pipeline routes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Natural Resources<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Afghanistan is rich in natural resources such as precious metals and minerals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Regional Balance of Power<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India needs Afghanistan to keep Pakistan in check just like China has been using Pakistan against India<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Afghanistan was invaded by US in 2001, its objectives were to oust Taliban and control of natural resources of Afghanistan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was an agenda for the US and India to prevent Russian and Chinese hegemony in Central Asia.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Russia maintains Afghanistan as embankment to protect its vulnerable southern border from illegal narcotics and Islamic extremism.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These factors make Afghanistan has become a center of power struggle between superpowers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>India\u2019s role in Afghanistan:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In recent years, India has not shied away from taking a high-profile role in Afghanistan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It remains one of the biggest donors of aid to Afghanistan, having committed $3.1 billion since 2001.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, it announced that it will be working on 116 new development projects in more than 30 areas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s agenda is to build the capacity of the Afghan state as well as of Afghan security forces, enabling them to fight their own battles more effectively. This is in line with the requirements of the Afghan government as well as the international community.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Way ahead:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expanding India\u2019s development role further and enhancing its security profile with greater military assistance to Afghanistan should be a priority as new strategic opportunities open up in Afghanistan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the U.S. has its own priorities in the \u2018Af-Pak\u2019 theatre, India\u2019s should be able to leverage the present opening to further its interests and regional security.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The recent bout of diplomatic activity in the region is a clear signal that India can no longer be treated as a marginal player in Afghanistan. Even Russia wants to keep India in the loop, as was underscored by Moscow\u2019s special envoy on Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov\u2019s visit to New Delhi for consultations in last month.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All the roads that lead to Kabul:\u00a0 Context: India must expand its development role further and enhance its security profile in Afghanistan Introduction: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani\u2019s recent visit to New Delhi came at a time when the Trump administration\u2019s South Asia policy has underscored India\u2019s centrality in the \u2018Af-Pak\u2019 theatre. Washington plans to increase&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/all-the-roads-that-lead-to-kabul\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">All the roads that lead to Kabul:\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-test-1","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704884805},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34317\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}