India in Afghanistan — I

Contrary to some Pakistani views, India’s ties to Afghanistan are not new.


Christine Fair October 30, 2010

India’s profile in Afghanistan has been a looming concern for New Delhi, Washington, Brussels and, of course, Islamabad with all wondering what the optimal role for India in Afghanistan’s reconstruction is, in light of the security competition between India and Pakistan. Some want to expand India’s presence in Afghanistan through Indian training of Afghan civilian and military personnel, development projects and economic ties. Others caution against such involvement. Others yet see Indian and Pakistani competition in Afghanistan as a new “Great Game” and argue that Afghanistan can be pacified through a regional solution that settles the Kashmir dispute.

India’s interests in Afghanistan are not only Pakistan-specific but also tied to India’s desire to be seen as an extra-regional power moving toward great power status. While India’s presence in Afghanistan has Pakistan-specific utility, India’s interests in Afghanistan can be seen as merely one element within India’s desire to be able to project its interests well beyond South Asia.

India has three principal aims in Afghanistan. First, it faced security threats from the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in the 1990s which provided training opportunities and safe havens for several Pakistani groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, which operate in India. India insists that Afghanistan should not again become a terrorist safe haven.

Second, India wants to retain Afghanistan as a friendly state from which it can monitor Pakistan and, where possible, cultivate assets to influence activities in Pakistan. Naturally, Pakistan seeks to deny India such opportunities.

Third, developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan have a negative effect on India’s domestic social fabric. Hindu nationalists and their militant counterparts live in a violent symbiosis with Islamist militant groups operating in and around India. Islamist terrorism in the region provides grist for the mill of Hindu nationalism and its violent offshoots.

Contrary to some Pakistani views, India’s ties to Afghanistan are not new. In 1950, Afghanistan and India signed a “Friendship Treaty.” Prior to the Soviet invasion in 1979, New Delhi formalised agreements with various pro-Soviet regimes in Kabul. During the anti-Soviet jihad, India expanded its development activities in Afghanistan.

After the Taliban consolidated their hold on Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, India struggled to maintain its presence. It aimed to undermine the Taliban by supporting the Northern Alliance in tandem with other regional actors.

Working with Iran, Russia and Tajikistan, India provided important resources to the Northern Alliance, the only meaningful challenge to the Taliban in Afghanistan. According to journalist Rahul Bedi, India also ran a 25-bed hospital at Farkhor (Ayni), Tajikistan, for more than a year and supplied the Northern Alliance with high altitude warfare equipment worth around $8 million. India also based several ‘defence advisers’ in Tajikistan to advise the Northern Alliance in their operations against the Taliban.

Since 2001, India has relied upon development projects and other forms of humanitarian assistance. To facilitate these projects and to collect intelligence (as all embassies do), India now has consulates in Jalalabad, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif, in addition to its embassy in Kabul. There are also a number of smaller-scale activities throughout Afghanistan. According to the US, British, and Afghan officials that I interviewed over the last several years, India’s activities are not isolated to the north, where it has had traditional ties, but also include efforts in the southern provinces and in the northeast, abutting the Pakistani border.

This is a condensed version of an article that was first appeared on Foreign Policy’s Af-Pak Channel on October 26, 2010

Published in The Express Tribune, October 31st, 2010.

COMMENTS (26)

SKChadha | 13 years ago | Reply @ Hussain – “If democracy is working so fine in India why are hindu extremist bought to power again and again even with charges of murder of innocent Muslims? Gujrat massacrer was re-bought into power? Is this democracy by definition? In india 3 Crore people are shudar caste and not allowed to be married with, is this democracy? Why are you not allowing independent election in Kashmir? concerned it will not be part of india Again.. I think its hypocrisy and not democracy.” Hussain Bhai, the democracy in India is indeed working fine since last 63 years. India do not require anybody’s certification in this regard. The entire world knows it and admires it; of course few also envy it. The people who have not enjoyed it can neither understand its beauty nor admire it. I know Tribune is permitting fare publication of comments and views. But please also realize their limitations before entering into Hindu-Muslim Tu Tu Main Main. As to my feeling the media in Pakistan is still not in a position to publish contrary views of Indians the way you are expressing. For your kind information Gujarat has sizable number of Muslim population and despite all adverse campaign, Mr. Modi’s victory is not and cannot be without support of Muslim community. The secularism of India is beyond your imagination. Hinduism has concept of ‘Varnas’ and mind it that exists in all faiths. Yes, we don’t deal in carcass and exhume them in the name of religion. While you were making these comments, this newspaper published a story. Please read it at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/71177/no-place-for-ahmedi-body-in-a-muslim-graveyard/. As regards Kashmir, I humbly request you to please consult your own seniors having knowledge of history about Kashmir before quoting it. I know you will disagree with me. Messages of animosity, ridicule, hatred, enmity etc just embolden the anti India clergy, the right wing media (majority of the electronic media) and the army’s quest to grab power in Pakistan. It serves no other purpose than to marginalize the ’saner’ voices and those within the civil dispensation that favour normalizing relations with India. Who preach downsizing of the army and reduction of ISI’s role and divorcing all kinds of indigenous jihads? Probably before quoting Kashmir you require to analyse the democratic set up in PHK, G-B, K-P etc and ethnic violence of Karachi.
Anoop | 13 years ago | Reply @Hussain, Choose your words carefully. 42% is not the majority. They are the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan. "My friend, if democracy is working so fine in India why are hindu extremist bought to power again and again even with charges of murder of innocent Muslims? " --> Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi are Hindu extremists! God, this is news flash for me! Regarding Murder of Muslims, many more Muslims died in Pakistan last year than they died in India in the last decade! http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/11/pakistan-militant-violence-death-toll Although bad stuff happened in India owing to the huge population of 1 Billion and staggering diversity, these kind of incidents are bound to happen. Pakistan being 1/7th the size of India has many more anti-Muslim incidents than India. A Muslim in India has the constitutional right to claim he is a Muslim. They are not discriminated institutionally and even get reservation in jobs and education. They have been actors, crickets and even Presidents and Governers! Can an Ahmedi Muslim can loudly proclaim he is a Muslim in Pakistan? I hope you dont have a passport, if you do then you have personally humiliated a whole community and supported their persecution. http://changinguppakistan.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/picture-2.png Show me one law or a line in the Constitution of India which is anything but fair. To know how Muslims are treated in India just have a look at India's biggest pastimes- Bollywood and Cricket. Muslims have a greater % of participation than numbers suggest. "it clearly states that Pushtoons are in majority and thats what i said. Beside that Tajiks and Uzbeks are also not in Love with India as u “assume”. " --> Dude, if this is the case then why does Pakistan only support the Taliban. Why did majority people voted for Pro-India Karzai in the first election? Guess who his opponent was. He was more pro-India than Karzai! Pakistan is scared of democracy in Afghanistan. Taliban wont win for the same reason BJP doesn't win in a country of 80% Hindus.
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