Replied by VIF : Yes India and Afghanistan are working for economic development and reconstruction in Afghanistan as well extending support to the Afghan National Defence and Security forces . They are engaged in several bilateral initiatives under the India-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Council. The Joint Working Group on Development Cooperation one of the four Joint Working Groups under this strategic cooperation forum held its the last meeting recently held in Kabul on August 9, 2018.

The bilateral projects include capacity building, infrastructure, education, healthcare, good-governance, human resource development. India is engaged in several developmental projects and have completed the Afghan Parliament building, Afghan-India Friendship Dam, the first phase of Chabahar port. There are several proposal for projects being considered. These including the Shahtoot dam, low cost housing for the returning refugees in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan, polyclinic in Mazar-e-Sharif, construction of road connecting Band-e-Amir in Bamyan Province to the Bamyan-Yakawlang Highway and many others.

India has invested over $2 billion in reconstruction of Afghanistan in the past decade and has given four military helicopters to Afghanistan and imparted training to hundreds of Afghan security personnel too. The External Affairs Minister Smt Sushma Swaraj met the visiting Minister of National Defence of Afghanistan, Lt General Tariq Shah Bahrani in April this year too and have discussed a variety of issues. Thus there is an increasing deepening of bilateral engagement with Afghanistan and both share a stable partnership. Building military base in Afghanistan is however a different matter altogether. When the effort and added responsibilities vs the real strategic advantages are considered, that step does not qualify.

Posted on August 14, 2018

Topics: Afganistan