This handout photograph received from the Presidential Palace on May 21, 2013, India President, Pranab Mukherjee (L) shakes hands with Afghan President, Hamid Karzai during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
"We have a wishlist that we have put before the government of India," Karzai told reporters in New Delhi, adding it was up to the Indian leadership to decide how much help it was willing to extend to Kabul.
India's foreign ministry refused to detail what the "wishlist" contained but local media reports said it included light and heavy artillery, aircraft and small arms and ammunitions.
"The leaders agreed that both countries will work together and will do all within their means to promote stability and security in Afghanistan," said Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin.
Karzai's comments came after his office said last week that he would ask for "all kinds of assistance from India in order to strengthen our military and security institutions" during the high-level talks in the Indian capital.
Karzai held closed-door talks late Tuesday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after a separate meeting with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee on his two-day trip which ended on Wednesday.
India has been training a limited number of Afghan military officers for years at its military institutions, but has provided little weapons assistance except for some vehicles.
India's support for Karzai is a reflection of its desire to ensure that the departure of the United States and other foreign forces in 2014 does not lead to the return of the radical Taliban to power in Kabul, analysts say.
In 2011, India and Afghanistan began a "strategic partnership" to deepen security and economic ties. But Indian activity in Afghanistan has sparked unease in neighbouring Pakistan which fears losing influence in Kabul.
A statement from Karzai's office in Kabul on Wednesday sought to underline its neighbourly relations with both India and Pakistan while ruling out inviting Indian troops to the country after the US pullout.
"Afghanistan is a sovereign country and... has the right to choose its own friends. Pakistan is a neighbour, it is a close neighbour and the people of Pakistan have given Afghans refuge for 30 years," the statement said.
"India is a traditional friend and ally, particularly so over the last 10 years," the Afghan statement added.
COMMENTS (17)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1732354127-0/Untitled-design-(3)1732354127-0-270x192.webp "north america s oldest macaroni penguins mark their 40th year")
@G. Din: Forget about US, even if the UN (at behest of Pakistan and allies) were to pass a resolution to block out India from Afghanistan, We'll still go and build whatever little we can build in that country as long as local Afghans don't mind. The reason is that Afghanistan is part of South Asia, a region where India (not US,not EU, not China, not Russia, not UN) is the top dog. India has an obligation not to allow any country in the region to fall below a certain threshold as that would undermine any future efforts for economic and security integration of the region (on the lines of EU) plus (in case of Afghanistan) blocks the region's access to Central Asia. Long term regional interests takes precedence. India can't develop in isolation of surrounding region.
@Gulam Rasool "Kuldeep sharma": , @Reddy: I seem to be reading the post of @Wondering a little differently than 2 of you. IT seems he/she is an Indian and his post is directed to Pakistanis whom he addresses as "You".
Deals of weapon supplies is usual business between any two countries in the world. Pakistan must get out of this strategic-depth paranoia and foster good relationship with both Afghanistan and India to promote regional stability. India is an emerging power in South Asia and Afghanistan has every right to befriend with, as does Pakistan with China, that too should be appreciated by our Pakistani friends. India is no longer the country that used to be back in 1956 and 1965 and Pakistan is in no good position as it was back in those old days.
@Naveen: "What matters is how Afghans view India, since it is with Afghanistan that India has friendly relations." Precisely. And, how do you think that is not controversial? Today, even an American Congressman wants India to ease out of Afghanistan because it irks Pakistan. Apparently, all those "good-for-everybody" acts that India has engaged in were not really "good-for-everybody".
@wondering Your Idea is 100% right but you are late. You could contribute a lot if you were Secretory of Deference. It would be far better for your Generals in 1971 and Kargil
@wondering: look who is talking,you will have more takers.if only you could listen to yourself... especially this gem "Deal with your own problems rather than proliferating them upon your neighbors"
You do everything within your means to keep Afghan Muslims destabilized in endless conflict and violence then wonder why they turn to India instead? They should just come and give you their throats I suppose? Its just something I don't seem to understand. Leave Afghanistan alone and mind your own business. Deal with your own problems rather than proliferating them upon your neighbors.
@G. Din:
"And those “non-controversial, good for everybody kind of things” are? "
These 'non-controversial' things are construction of Afghanistan Parliament building, Zaranj-Delaram Highway, Salma Dam, Power lines and Indira Gandhi Childrens Hospital. Pakistan can think as it likes, It is a hostile country anyway (nothing to lose there). What matters is how Afghans view India, since it is with Afghanistan that India has friendly relations.
@Mazo: You are right to say that India and Afghanistan were once one but some would say they still are! After all, Hindu Shahi rulers were the heads at Kabul for centuries. Afghanistan has been a committed partner if not outright puppet state of India even since Britain left the region in 1947. It comes as no surprise to Pakistan that successive Afghani leaders want to cement the long relationship that India and Afghanistan share. What should bother Pakistanis is that Pakistan still houses and supports millions of Afghani refugees. They should be encouraged to go to India and become a burden on that nation instead of Pakistan.
What has the West achieved in the past 11 years except death and destruction of Afghanistan. If the West could not fix Afghanistan's problems how come a country that has its own bundles of problems help the Karzai government. The only objective of this gesture in my opinion is to irk Pakistan and it fails comprehensively. I guess Mr. Karzai is asking for commandos to provide personal security after NATO's departure as currently his security is provided by US. Without an iota of doubt, Taliban are going to take over Afghanistan after NATO leaves. So Mr. Mayor of Kabul what are you going to do with Indian military aid when you will be the first person to board a plane out of Kabul en-route to US.
@Naveen: to Vectra "It would be better if we keep ourselves to non-controversial, good for everybody kind of things." And those "non-controversial, good for everybody kind of things" are? Name a couple! Nothing India or Afghanistan may do is ever "non-controversial, good for everybody kind of thing" for Pakistan. Better advice from you would have been "India, go hide in a corner. You make me nervous" Totally expected!
wait for another year ...... hahahahah
Yes all promtions are against Pakistan. But if they get involved, then they will become beggar in this endless war.
@Vectra: And who'll pay for all those toys. We are no America. Better we stick to time tested roads, dams, electricity and medical facilities which help us gain a soft corner amongst ordinary Afghan Public. Heavy Weaponisation in that region can backfire badly if the deadly weapons were to slip into the hands of Jihadists or if militants start using civilians as shields. Afghanistan's myriad problems have domestic as well as foreign underpinnings. Some sort of political deal will have to be worked out to sort out the mess. It would be better if we keep ourselves to non-controversial, good for everybody kind of things.
Afghanistan has as much, if not more, claim to Indian weapons supplies as Pakistan has to from China. India is 65 years late but its a small beginning.
India - Pakistan and Afghanistan were all one nation for nearly 200 years. Even before that, the entire Indian sub-continent - this includes Afghanistan have had close cultural, political, economic contacts. Even today, Afghans, Pakistanis and Indians eat the same food, speak languages originating from the same roots.
The idea that India is an "alien" to Afghanistan and has no business there is absurd and Pakistan must realize this truth and stop feeling threatened by this innocent associations. The fantasy of some Indian military encirclement via afghanistan is not only implausible but also illogical. The Afghans are not stooges to dance to a tune and neither is India so foolish as to stand its troops in Afghanistan with no way land route to supply them or reinforce them with.