In continuation of a long series of seminars and discussions on the future of Afghanistan, held by the VIF from time to time since 2009, a fresh round of discussion on the ‘Developments in Afghanistan: Implications and Options for India’, was held on 11 July 2016.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan H.E. Hekmat Karzai, as part of his recent visit to India, held a broad ranging interaction with members of the VIF faculty on 19 November 2015.
Amidst growing uncertainties about Afghanistan’s future, the VIF hosted the Chief Executive Officer of the national unity government in Afghanistan His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Abdullah to deliberate upon a wide spectrum of issues, including, among others, the post drawdown scenarios in Afghanistan, the ongoing efforts towards peace and reconciliation among various warring factions, the need for capacity-building by Afghanistan’s national army, the Taliban’s potential resurrection, the role of regional actors in Afghanistan, and India’s continued relevance in Afghanistan.
A trilateral conference on the theme of “China, India, UK and Afghanistan- A partnership for Stability” was organized at the VIF premises from 02 to 05 March 2015. The main objective of the deliberations was to find ways and means of cooperation amongst the regional powers in order to bring peace, stability and prosperity to Afghanistan. The Royal United Services Institute, UK delegation was led by Prof. Malcolm Chalmers and included Mr. Raffaello Pantucci and Edward Schwark and Ms Emily Winterbotham. The Chinese delegation was represented by Senior Colonel (Retd) Bai Zonglin, Dr.
A trilateral conference ‘China, India, the UK and Afghanistan- A Partnership for Stability’ was held in Beijing from 24 to 26 November 2014 under the auspices of VIF, Royal United Services Institute of UK (RUSI) and China Institute for Contemporary International Relations (CICIR). A four member VIF delegation led by Gen.
Afghanistan 2014: Forward to the Past? This is not a recent book, comparatively speaking; it was published in 2001, but remains topical. It covers the rise of the Taliban in the mid- to late-1990’s, and examines the main actors in the rise of this force. It is important to understand the phenomenon of the Taliban because it covers the activity and support of the force that is making a serious bid to return to power in Afghanistan once the western draw-down is complete.
VIF organized a round table discussion focusing on Afghanistan on 11th October 2013. Participants in the discussion included Mr. Ajit Doval, KC, Director VIF, Gen. (retd) N. C. Vij, Lt. Gen. (retd) Ravi Sawhney, Amb G. Parthasarathy, Amb Satish Chandra, Amb Prabhat P Shukla, Amb Arvind Gupta, Amb Vivek Katju, Amb T.C. Rangachari, Maj. Gen. (retd) S. Thapliyal, Brig. (Retd) Ravi Bhonsle, Brig. (Retd) Vinod Anand, and Mr. Sushant Sareen.
Lt. Gen Ravi Sawhney, Distinguished Fellow and Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow, VIF, were invited by the Afghan Institute of Strategic Studies to attend the prestigious Second Herat Security Dialogue on 5-6, October, 2013. Around 80 foreign delegates from countries of the region and beyond and a similar number of Afghan delegates participated in the conference. The Dialogue was organized with the cooperation of the Afghan government and the local authorities at the historic 3000 year fort, Ikhtiyaruddin Citadel. Notable among the absentees were the US and Pakistani delegations.
On 18 April 2013, Mr. Shaida Mohammad Abdali, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India interacted with members of the VIF faculty on contemporary developments in Afghanistan. He spoke on the ongoing political, security and economic transition. He gave his perspective on reconciliation efforts with the Taliban. He also covered the interests and its manifestations of its neighbours. The VIF faculty highlighted the Indian interests and objectives in Afghanistan and the developmental efforts which have won popular support.
A five member VIF delegation led by Mr. Ajit Doval and comprising of Amb. PP Shukla, Gen. (Retd.) NC Vij, Lt.Gen. (Retd.) Ravi Sawhney and Brig. (Retd.) Vinod Anand visited Beijing from 13 to 15 March 2013 to participate in a seminar and interact with some of the think tanks of China.