Afghan and its ties with India

In 1990s, when Pakistan –backed Taliban came into power in Afghanistan and occupied more than half of the country, the shared history between India and Afghanistan and the ties between the two countries started blurring , majorly. Even though the ties were blurring, India did not want to lose on its getaway to energy rich Central Asia states such as Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Therefore, during this period, India provided aid and assistance to the anti-Taliban resistance, the northern alliance in Afghanistan that mainly comprised of Tajik and other non- pashtun ethnic groups. Since 2001, India has offered $1.2 billion for Afghanistan’s reconstruction, making it the largest regional donor in the country. By helping rebuild a new Afghanistan, India strives for greater regional stability and also hopes to counter Pakistan’s influence on Kabul.

In 2006, when there were increased number of kidnappings and attacks in Afghanistan, India sent country’s mountain-trained parliamentary force tasked with guarding its border with China. There are about 500 police deployed in Afghanistan currently. India provided the country with a lot of reliefs and reconstruction projects and in 2009; India completed the construction of the Zaranj-Delaram highway in southwest Afghan, near the Iranian border. Also, it has trained the Afghan police officers, diplomats and civil servants and has provided support in the areas of health, education, transportation, power and telecommunications.

Bilateral trade between the two countries have increased to $358 million in march 2008, even though Pakistan does not allow goods to move from India to Afghanistan but it allows Afghanistan transit rights for its exports to India.

In 2005, India proposed Afghanistan’s membership in the SAARC. Both nations also developed strategic and military cooperation against the militants in afghanistan. The country strengthened ties with India in wake of persisting tensions and problems with Pakistan, which was suspected of continuing to shelter and support Taliban.

In July 2008 the Indian embassy in Kabul was attacked by a suicide-car bomb, which was the deadliest attack in Kabul after the downfall of the Taliban reign. Two Indian officials were killed along with 58 other people in the attack. The Afghan government had then claimed that there was an involvement of the Pakistan’s Inter- Services Intelligence in the attack.

The relation between the two countries is strengthening increasingly and in the 15^th SAARC summit in Columbo, India pledged further aid for Afghanistan. Though the country shares good ties with each other for personal benefits,  the countries are going strong in their relationship with each other. Where  India is providing aid by seeing Afghanistan as a route to the Central Asian states, Afghanistan is getting aid from the country and assisitance in fighting against the militant groups.