LAST time an Indian Minister visited Kandahar in Afghanistan was in 1999. It was over the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane. It exposed two things. First, the links of the terror network ran across Afghanistan and Pakistan. Second, Indian diplomacy had suffered at that time because of New Delhi’s ideological opposition to the Taliban government which was then in power in the mountainous territory. Indian policy on this region has moderated over the years. The visit of India’s External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, to Afghanistan underlines the development. Of course, India is still opposed to the Taliban. But it no longer objects to Afghanistan’s President, Hamid Karzai’s reconciliation move with the Taliban who are evidently willing to consider bringing about peace in the country. What takes priority is Afghanistan’s reconstruction effort. India has poured a lot of funds into developing education and infrastructure in the ravaged land. India’s sustained interest in such activity was proved by Salman Khurshid’s presence at the inauguration of the Afghan National Agricultural Sciences and Technology University which has been set up partly with Indian money.
Khurshid has made it clear that India supports Karzai’s efforts to strengthen democracy and maintain sovereignty in negotiations with the US. He only wants a limited NATO presence for some time. India appreciates Afghanistan’s need for defence equipment. But it is not interested in supply of arms to Kabul. That is indicative of India’s commitment to a self-respecting government policy. However, the coming elections in India and Afghanistan may significantly alter the existing state of affairs.
