India & Afghanistan Relations

• India and Afghanistan have a strong relationship based on historical and cultural links.
• The relationship is not limited to the governments in New Delhi and Kabul, but has its foundations in the historical contacts and exchanges between the people.
• In recent past, India-Afghanistan relations have been further strengthened by the Strategic Partnership Agreement, which was signed between the two countries in October 2011.
• The Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) between the two sides, inter alia,
• Provides for assistance to help rebuild Afghanistan's infrastructure and institutions, education and technical assistance to re-build indigenous Afghan capacity in different areas.
• Encouraging investment in Afghanistan's natural resources.
• Providing duty free access to the Indian market for Afghanistan's exports
• Support for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, broad-based and inclusive process of peace and reconciliation, and
• Advocating the need for a sustained and long-term commitment to Afghanistan by the international community.
• 2011 to assist in “the training, equipping and capacity building programs for the Afghan National Security Forces”.
• Air corridor between India (Mumbai) to Afghanistan (Kabul) & Delhi – Kabul, only for Goods Transportation.
• Recently India done Delhi Declaration.

• Connect to Iran and to Afghanistan.
• In 2012, India Sign with Iran, develop two birth Chabahar port to Connect to Afghanistan.
• Garland Road already in Afghanistan, India construct road of Zaranj to Delaram connect to Garland Road.

Ashagabat Aggrement - India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Oman, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for creating an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. The agreement came into force in April, 2016.

Significance of Afghanistan for India

1.Economic importance

• Natural Resources: Afghanistan has significant oil and gas reserves and has rich source of rare earth materials.
• The massive reconstruction plans for the country offer a lot of opportunities for Indian companies for investment.
• It has also signed the TAPI pipeline project that aims to bring natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan to India. Pakistan stop it.

2.Security:

• Stable government in Kabul is essential to reduce terror activities across south Asia also in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Thus, the most important goal for India remains the prevention of Pakistan from regaining its central role in Afghan affairs.
• The golden crescent comprising of Iran, Afghan, and Pakistan is a worry for India, especially with respect to the issue of drug abuse in Punjab.
• Islamic State is using Afghan as an outpost in Asia as it comes under stress in Iraq and Syria.
  (Now Taliban is capture Afghanistan)

3.Gateway to energy rich central Asia:

• Afghanistan is situated at crossroads between South Asia and Central Asia and South Asia and the Middle East.

Focus Area

1. Trade relations

• India is the second-largest destination for Afghan exports.
• Major India’s export items to Afghanistan include textiles, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, iron & steel and electrical machinery, while its imports from Afghanistan are fruits and nuts, gums and resins, coffee, tea and spices.

2.Infrastructure development:

• India is the sixth largest donor to Afghanistan in diverse development projects in infrastructure, education and agriculture.
• Some of the major projects include:
• Construction of a 218 km road from Zaranj to Delaram for facilitating movement of goods and services to the Iranian border.
• Construction of Afghan-India Friendship Dam (Salma Dam) in Herat province.
• Construction of Afghan Parliament.
• New Development Partnership: 1 Billion Dollar worth project. Under this 116 High Impact Community Development Projects will be implemented in the areas of education, health, agriculture etc. (Ex: Free vaccine, Skill Development etc…)

3.Connectivity initiatives

• Chahbahar Port: India is cooperating with Afghanistan and Iran for development of the Chahbahar Port which provides an alternative route to Afghanistan and Central Asia. In this context, a trilateral transport and transit agreement based on sea access through Chabahar has been signed.
• Air Freight Corridor: India and Afghanistan inaugurated a dedicated air freight corridor service in2017 which could provide Afghanistan greater access to markets in India.
• Afghanistan and Pakistan signed Afghanistan Pakistan Transit and Trade Agreement (APTTA) in 2011 which gives each country equal access up to the national boundaries of both. (Afghanistan said allow truck to India but Pakistan not accept it).
• At present, Pakistan allows Afghan trucks carrying goods meant for India, only up to its last checkpoint at Wagah, and not to the Indian checkpoint at Attari, less than a kilometer away.
• India is keen to join APTTA and Afghanistan has backed India’s readiness to be an APTTA member though Pakistan has so far rejected such a proposal.

4. Cultural Relations:

• India has regularly aimed to take up projects that will render Afghanistan's cultural heritage sustainable.

5.Indian Diaspora in Afghanistan:

• Presently, there are estimated to be about 2500 Indians in the country.
• Operation Devi Shakthi – Rescue India diaspora from Afghanistan, because Taliban capture Afghanistan.

6.Political & Security Relations:

• During the Soviet-Afghan war (1979-89), India was the only South Asian nation to recognize the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
• India also provided humanitarian aid to then Afghan President Najibullah's government. Following the withdrawal of the Soviet forces, India continued to provide Najibullah's government with humanitarian aid.
• India aids the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces in fighting the scourge of terrorism, organized crime, trafficking of narcotics and money laundering. Further India supports an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process.
• India donated three Mi-25 attack helicopters to Afghanistan as part of the bilateral strategic partnership to counter the Taliban. (Also gift to Maldives).

Background of Conflict in Afghanistan

• The Afghan war dates back to 1978 when communist government was established in Afghanistan.
• Insurgency started against communist government led by Mujahedeen’s and Soviet Union entered Afghanistan in 1979 with troops to protect the communist government.
• Since then Afghanistan has been in a state of turmoil for the last 40 years including a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and withdrawal in 1989.
• The Taliban, ultraconservative political and religious faction that emerged in Afghanistan, came to power in 1996 and were later ousted from power by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in an effort to counter Al-Qaeda in 2001.
• The Taliban has steadily expanded its reach since U.S. and NATO forces formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014 and now it recaptured the entire state.

Why US is pulling out?

• America First Policy: The withdrawal is in line with President Trump’s America First policy.
• According to Trump, US has been wasting its “blood and treasure” on distant conflicts, instead of rebuilding itself.
• In 17th year since its inception in 2001, the Afghanistan conflict is US’s longest running war & has hadhuge economic as well as human costs.
• Despite prolonged investment of financial and human resources, the political solution is nowhere in sight and this has resulted in growing skepticism within the US administration over the futility of military involvement.

After the US released this new Afghanistan strategy, Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited the US. India put forward its Afghan strategy:

• There will be no Indian boots-on-ground in Afghan.
• India will provide economic assistance and capacity building.
• India will sign MoU with Afghan to train its police force.
• India will assist Afghan in its own way and not the way desired by the US, that is boots-on-ground.
• Countered the argument of Pakistan Prime Minister that India has zero political and zero military role in Afghan.

Consequences for India

• A destabilized and Talibanized Afghanistan might lead to upsurge of violence in Jammu b and Kashmir & can be used as a staging post for launching attacks on rest of India, as had been the case in late 1990s (IC 814 hijacking).
• There is also an imminent security threat to India’s investments & developed infrastructure in Afghanistan.
• Since India is increasing its physical presence in the region through connectivity projects like Chabahar, INSTC etc., an adverse national government will halt the connectivity efforts, increase in refugee crisis and will have a major impact on India’s energy security and regional ties in the Middle East.
• US’s isolationism through non-interventionist foreign policy could open gates to Chinese military intervention in Afghanistan.
• India must start preparing for the inevitable geopolitical turbulence, including the resurgence of the Islamic State and the potential return of the Taliban to power in Kabul.

Earlier Steps by India:

Going forward, India India has now spelt out its three new “red lines” on the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.

• “all initiatives and processes must include all sections of the Afghan society, including the legitimately elected government”.
• “any process should respect the constitutional legacy and political mandate”.
• any process “should not lead to any ungoverned spaces where terrorists and their proxies can relocate”.

India is participating in a Russia-sponsored peace conference with Taliban.

• Russia is trying to bring various parties to the conflict in Afghanistan around a table to kick-start a peace process.
• Currently, the talks known as the “Moscow format/Moscow Talks” include a “high-level” delegation from the Taliban as well as a delegation of Afghanistan’s “High Peace Council (HPC)”, along with representatives of 12 countries.
• First time an Indian delegation, in unofficial capacity, also has represented India.

Way Forward

• Establishing informal links with the Taliban government:
• It would put New Delhi in a stronger position to ensure that its assets and investments in Afghanistan aren’t imperiled.
• Broader Diplomatic Engagement: India should consider appointing a special envoy dedicated to Afghan reconciliation.
• The envoy can ensure that Indian views are expressed at every meeting, broaden engagement with the Afghan government and other political actors, and reach out to certain Taliban representatives.
• Developmental and Humanitarian aid: Given the continued levels of violence and the impact of the coronavirus on the Afghan economy, India should expand its development assistance. (Through Delhi Declaration).
• Working with and Through Others: India should look to broaden its engagements with Iran and Russia, explore opportunities for cooperation with China, and find common ground with the United States on Afghanistan’s future.
• Delhi Declaration – NSA meet.