INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

INDIA – AFGHANISTAN RELATIONS

Historical background of India-Afghanistan relations

Whilst the Republic of India was the only South Asian country to recognize the Soviet-backed
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in the 1980s, their relations were diminished during the 1990s
Afghan civil war and the Taliban government. India aided the overthrow of the Taliban and became the
largest regional provider of humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Afghanistan. The Afghan Foreign
Ministry in 2008 quoted India as a “brother country” and the relationship between the two as one
which “no enemy can hamper” which have remained the same from that time till now.

Why Afghanistan important for India

• To develop strategic depth against Pakistan- India is interested in retaining Afghanistan as a
friendly state from which it has the capacity to monitor Pakistan and cultivate assets to
influence activities in Pakistan.

• Security concerns – close vicinity to the Golden crescent. Opium production belt that covers
Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. + Taliban threat
• It is responsible for rising drug usage in Punjab.
• Breeding soil of terrorism – bringing stability in Afghanistan is very important for India.
• Energy security aspect. For Eg: India – TAPI pipeline.
• The country is home to resource deposits worth one trillion dollars, according to the US
Geological Survey.
• Importance to Connect to central Asia policy. Eg: Chabahar port project and connectivity
projects.
• Afghanistan is tied to India’s vision of being a regional leader and a great power, coupled

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 with its competition with China over resources and its need to counter Pakistani influence.
• Land bridge of Asia- transit zone

POLITICAL RELATIONS

• 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 rebuild 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.

ECONOMIC RELATIONS

• The Preferential Trade Agreement signed in March 2003 under which India allowed duty
concessions and removed custom duties for all Afghan products.
• With the Operation of Chabahar Port in Iran, Afghan exports would receive further boost,
as a new transit route for trade.
• Steel authority if India is setting a plant in Afghanistan’s Hajigak iron ore reserves.
• The Afghanistan Embassy has so far signed five memorandums of understanding (MOUs)
covering commercial and medical cooperation between Afghanistan’s respective chambers
of commerce and hospitals, while it has initiated another 20 MOUs with state chambers and
hospitals across India, in the coming months.
• India offers $3billion developmental assistance
• Indian investors remain deeply interested in the many “virgin markets” of Afghanistan,
including mining, agriculture and agribusiness, information and technology,
telecommunications, and others.
BILATERAL TRADE

• India and Afghanistan have a strong relationship based on historical and cultural links,

• it’s focal point have been trade and commerce.

• The Silk road has proved to pave the way of forever existing equation between the two
countries.
• Their corridor is important for the geo-strategic location connecting the East and the West
Asia.
• The bilateral trade at for the year 2019-2020 was USD 1.143 billion approx and has
immense potential to be expanded further
CULTURAL RELATIONS
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 • ICCR Scholarships for Afghan students for education and technical skills.
• Technical Capacity building programs of ITEC and ICAR for Afghan mid-career officers.
• Sister City relations:
o Kabul – New Delhi
o Kandahar – Mumbai
o Ajmer Sharif – Herat
o Hyderabad – Jalalabad
o Ahmedabad – Asadabad
o State of Assam – Province of Helmand

INDIA AFGHAN ENGAGEMENT

Have strong relationship based on historical and cultural ties. The relationship can be explained under
four components

• Capacity building measures

• Large infrastructure projects

• Small developmental projects

• Humanitarian assistance

Capacity Building measures

• India is giving training to Afghanistan students and is running vocational training institutes.
• Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programs are being implemented by India.
• Grants scholarship to Afghanistan students by ICCR – Indian Council for Cultural Relations –
in Universities in India.
• Training of Afghan forces.

INFRASTRUCTURAL & CONNECTIVITY PROJECTS

• 218 km Zaranj – Dalaram road to help move goods to Iran border.

• Salma dam also known as Afghan India Friendship dam.

• Construction of Afghan Parliament.

• 220 kv DC transmission line from Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul.

• Chabahar Port development (Iran)

Relevance of Chabahar Port in India-Afghanistan Relations

• The development of a port in Iran can serve as an alternative route.

• Goods brought at the port can be easily transported to the Afghan border & distributed to

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 different parts of Afghanistan via Zaranj-Delaram highway.
• India can export the iron ore extracted from the Hajigak mines in Central Afghanistan through
Chabahar port.
• It will help in regional integration of Afghanistan and reducing Pakistan’s influence

Other Initiatives to increase connectivity with Afghanistan

• India-Afghanistan Air Corridor: To reduce dependence on the Karachi port for foreign trade,
subsidized air cargo facilities between India & Afghanistan were announced at Heart of Asia
Conference 2016
• Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA): Under this agreement, goods
originating in Afghanistan would be allowed transit up to Wagah and in return Afghanistan will
allow Pakistan the transit route to Central Asian Republics (CARs).
• International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC):
• Though Afghanistan is not a member, INSTC will boost connectivity to Afghanistan as well
through Chabahar to Zaranj and Delaram.
SMALL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

• Many India NGO’s working in this front. They are actively participating in the development process and
community development. SEWA.

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

• Line of Credit provided by India to Afghanistan.

• Medical support to Afghan – treating of congenital heart disease among children

• Nutrition to afghan students.

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Factors that restrain India from intensive engagement on the security front in Afghanistan

• Delhi did not want deeper security cooperation with Afghanistan that could cast a shadow over
its ties with Pakistan.

• A second constraint has been geography. The lack of physical access has imposed substantial
limitations on Delhi’s military role in Afghanistan

• US resistance to a larger Indian security footprint in Afghanistan

- The US was convinced that any Indian military role in Afghanistan
would aggravate Pakistan’s political sensitivities.
- But Trump has now actively encouraging India to take greater responsibilities in Afghanistan.

ISSUES

• Geographical restraint- Pakistan not allowing to use transit under Af-Pak Trade & Transit Agreement

• Taliban Dilemma- Should we engage or not?. India is opposed to Taliban becoming part of the
power sharing and India does not differentiate between good Taliban and bad Taliban.

• Low participation of India in defense – no military equipment sale.

• Peace process participation is weak. – No Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled

reconciliation process

• India is concerned about security of its investments in Afghanistan – multiple attacks on our
consulates.

• Growing Chinese influence

• Drug issues- Golden Crescent

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How India should deal with Afghanistan

• India should aspire to make Afghan a neutral country. Free from influence of Pakistan

• Afghan peace process should be Afghan led and Afghan owned. – India should negotiate with
like-minded countries for this purpose.

• India should follow its own independent policy in Afghanistan. India should calibrate its effort
to formulate a joint strategy.

• India should make use of its soft power + capacity building.

• Make SAARC a stakeholder in Afghan reconstruction

Afghanistan Peace process

Negotiation between Taliban and Afghan government which is aided and backed by other
international players for the peace and stability of Afghanistan.

Initiatives of Afghan Peace process

• Quadrilateral Coordination Group –

o 4 member – Afghanistan, Pakistan, US and China

o Pakistan is considered critical so as to bring Taliban to the negotiating table.

o Objectives of QCG: To formulate the road map and inviting the armed opposition to the
negotiating table and then implement the peace plan.

• Bilateral Security agreement – Agreement between US and Afghanistan providing Afghan with
non-NATO ally status. Till now ANSF was trained by ISAF

• SCO declaration – Dushanbe declaration – Dushanbe is capital of Tajikistan. Declaration by SCO

countries for the peace of Afghanistan.

• Heart of Asia Summit – Istanbul Ministerial Process

o Discuss regional issues especially a platform to discuss the regional issues especially
security, political and economic issues of Afghanistan.

o 14 member countries in the process. India is a member. There are 20 supporting nations.
US is one among the supporting nations.

o 6th Ministerial was held at Amritsar and the Amritsar declaration was adopted.

o Most important part of Amritsar declaration is that Pakistan is now considered as the
sponsor of terrorism. Major document that declared Pakistan as the state sponsor of
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 terrorism.

o India agreed to donate 1 billion to Afghanistan.

• Six plus one dialogue forum – QCG plus India, Russia and Iran.
• Tashkent Declaration
o a political settlement that is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, supported by close regional
counterterrorism and counter- narcotics cooperation, and regional economic
cooperation and connectivity are key to the peace and prosperity of Afghanistan and the
entire region.
o all countries to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and non-
interference in its internal affairs in order to achieve its security, stability and prosperity.
o Afghanistan is a victim of ideological extremism and brutal terrorism, often sponsored
from beyond their borders, for reasons that they do not always understand, by elements
trapped in regressive doctrine and cynical interests.
• Qatar(Doha) Talks led by USA- US- Taliban Deal
• Moscow format:
o It was introduced in 2017 on the basis of the six-party mechanism for consultations
among special representatives from Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Iran and India.
o The Moscow format meeting’s main objective is to facilitate the national reconciliation
process in Afghanistan and secure peace in that country as soon as possible.

Impact of US withdrawal on the world:

• Spurt in terrorism around the globe: Taliban may join forces with Pakistani militants to
create safe havens for terrorists targeting India, the United States and others using the
fertile ground as used earlier by Al Qaeda.
• Increasing salience of Pakistan in Afghan affairs: In variance with 2017 US policy, which
attenuated Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan, US withdrawal has again brought Pakistan at the
centre-stage in Afghan politics by raising its geo-strategic importance for other contestants.
• Space for external influence: The removal of the U.S. presence from most theatres of
action has created space for regional players: leaving Syria to Iran and its allies; Yemen to
Saudi Arabia; Afghanistan to players like Russia, Pakistan and Iran; and Pakistan to China.
• China’s advance in South Asia: Instability in Afghanistan would give an opportunity for
China to make inroads in Afghanistan through its deep pockets, similar to its actions in Sri
Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan, thus challenging India’s leadership in South Asia.
Impact of US troops withdrawal on India:

• Security situation: Weaker American presence in Afghanistan would embolden local militant
groups such as the Taliban, whose influence could subsequently spread to neighbouring
Pakistan and Kashmir.

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 • Regional connectivity and related economic concerns: India’s investments of billions in
Afghanistan (India is Afghanistan’s largest contributor of development assistance in the region)
and plans to connect with Central Asia would be jeopardized if Taliban, being supported by
Pakistan, gains ground.
• Regional instability: Sudden American withdrawal might create a civil war like situation as
various regional stakeholders (China, Russia and Pakistan) will try to reshape the battlefield in
accordance with their own strategic priorities, which will hamper India’s long gestated efforts at
building Afghanistan.
• Isolation of India: India’s displeasure with Taliban is explicit and India was supported by US on this,
but post US announcement of withdrawal most of the other stakeholders, like Russia and US, have
simply ignored and isolated India’s views and have engaged with Taliban and its sponsors in
Pakistan in finding a solution.

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