Afghanistan and India Relationship Making Pakistan Jealous

In my previous blog, I talked about the investments India is making in Afghanistan and all the positive aspects of it. But I didn’t address the elephant in the room: Pakistan. Despite India being the fifth biggest investor in Afghanistan, Pakistan has repeatedly try to undermine India’s position on an international level over its investments. Inter- Services Intelligence thinks that India is using Afghanistan as a launching ground for its spy missions in Pakistan. Afghanistan and India have to be really cautious about the closeness of their relationship in order to not alarm Pakistan. In 2013, President Karzai of Afghanistan came to India to buy weapons and aircrafts and other materials after it had a few clashes with Pakistan. India had to resist this offer because it didn’t want Pakistan to get all rattled up. Afghanistan also later cancelled its offer to buy materials because it didn’t want to offend Pakistan. India and Afghanistan have signed a pact in which India trains 600 of Afghani troops every year. India had to tip toe around this issue too because it didn’t want to have the responsibility of Afghani security after the U.S. troops pull out. Pakistan was so insecure of Indian presence Afghanistan that it got India kicked out of international security talks on Afghanistan. This shows the level of insecurity on Pakistan’s part. All India wants is to create stability in the Afghanistan but Pakistan thinks otherwise. Afghanistan has ores and minerals that are virtually untouched and India wants to help Afghanistan extract them and help it boost its economy. But with Afghanistan economically strong, it would be able to undermine Pakistan’s authority, an idea that makes Pakistan shit its pants.

Another aspect of the relationship is that the major projects that India has undertaken in Afghanistan are coming to an end. Projects such as Salma Dam, a brand new Afghan Parliament building is nearly complete. India’s Wheat Assistance Programme, India committed 1.1 million metric tones of wheat to assist Afghanistan with its food shortage. Out of 1.1 million tones, 711,882 tones have already been supplied. It depends on India if it further wants to extend its relationship with Afghanistan because its doesn’t want to offend Pakistan and provide a reason for it to act like a whiny little country and U.S.’s pet spoilt brat that it is. But there still seems a possibility of a major project because India has decided to donate 1000 buses to Afghanistan to help with its transportation system. Despite Pakistan’s insecurity, India petitioned for Afghanistan to join SAARC and it was approved. Afghanistan is now the eighth SAARC member (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation). This gives Afghanistan a say on an international level about its own economic plans and a chance to play on a fair field and not be scared of Pakistan’s anger.

I believe that Afghanistan has the potential to be a stable country, which can govern itself. Instead of U.S. focusing on Pakistan and proving it billions of dollars of aid, it should help Afghanistan, a country that truly needs funds for development. If not even the aid, the international community should at least support India’s endeavors in helping Afghanistan and should condemn Pakistan’s manipulation of international events for its own selfish needs.

http://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/Afghanistan_2015_07_20.pdf

http://www.dawn.com/news/1217416

http://www.dawn.com/news/240651/afghanistan-inducted-as-8th-member-14th-saarc-summit-begins