India has openly offered support to Afghanistan by formalizing strategic partnerships even as it risks attracting hostility from Pakistan. During a two day visit by Afghan President Hamid Karzai to India, an agreement has been reached by the two nations to increase training of Afghan army and other security personnel. Besides finalizing the details of a strategic partnership, the two nations signed a total of three bilateral agreements.
During the visit, President Hamid Karzai has indicated that regional powers such as India are helping Afghanistan steer towards peace. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that India will support Afghanistan to assume the responsibility of governance and security after the withdrawal of international forces. India has also urged other neighboring countries to help Afghanistan achieve stability. Afghanistan's future and progress will be complimented largely by the role of its neighboring countries and India intends to extend its cooperation openly.
As for the Indo-Afghan partnership agreement, India has pledged to train, equip and build capacity for Afghanistan's Army and Police and expand on the limited training it conducted for their army in India four years ago. During the current two-day visit by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan has requested for 150 Afghan Army officers to receive training at Indian defense and military academies which India has agreed upon. India also is expected to soon begin hosting training sessions for Afghan police officers.
India trained Afghan Army in 2007 when two platoon-sized infantry units took sessions in India. However, India has never sent army units to Afghanistan since it would upset Pakistan. India has also poured more than $1 billion in aid money into Afghanistan in the past decade for various projects which had perturbed Pakistan due to the presence of Indian paramilitary forces in Afghanistan to oversee projects. However, this time around, India will be steadfast in its support to Afghanistan due to compelling national security reasons.
The Indian foreign ministry said that Mr. Karzai’s visit to New Delhi, his second this year, was also an opportunity for both countries to fully re-establish their strategic partnership and discuss bilateral, regional and global issues. Until now, India had maintained that its support for Afghanistan is civilian in nature and it has helped Afghanistan initiate small-scale development projects. However, India has now reiterated that it will support Afghanistan with greater interest by deepening its economic and military support. India and Afghanistan on Tuesday also agreed to strengthen trade and economic ties, announcing two agreements to cooperate in mining and hydrocarbons. |