MBA aspirants must be updated with General Awareness on current topics. General awareness topics with analytically drawn conclusions will benefit you in Essay writing / GD & PI. Today, you will read General Awareness Topic:
India's stake in Afghanistan
In May 2013, the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, gave the Indian government a wish list of military equipment that the Afghan army requires. However, the Indian government is contemplating about Afghanistan’s request and is weighing whether providing arms to the Afghan army is in India’s interests.
India is keen on stabilizing Afghanistan but it is also concerned about the impact of its actions on Pakistan. In fact, India does not want to get entangled in a proxy war with Pakistan, which has links with the Taliban.
In 2011, India signed a strategic partnership with Afghanistan, promising the latter that it would help in training the Afghan army and providing arms to the military body.
In addition, the partnership includes capacity building in the following areas – education, people to people contacts and infrastructure development. As of today, India has committed Rp 113 billion (US$ 2 billion) to the Afghan government for the reconstruction of the country and the rebuilding of the country’s diplomatic, police and judiciary pillars.
According to the Indian Foreign Ministry, it will do everything within its means to enhance security and restore peace in Afghanistan. And India’s interest in Afghanistan is not transitional; it is ongoing and continuous.
However, India cannot be fulfilling each and every wish of Afghanistan. India has to look at the larger picture and take steps in which international security and peace balances are not disturbed.
According to a high-ranking government official in India, Afghanistan’s wish list keeps getting longer at every meeting and India has to nip the problem in the bud before Afghanistan starts expecting too much from its neighbor.
Just because India signed the Strategic Partnership Agreement does not mean that it agrees to every wish of Afghanistan. India cannot ignore Pakistan’s sensitivity when it comes to issues in Afghanistan.
Currently, Pakistan is becoming suspicious of India’s close engagement with Afghanistan on security and military matters and this cannot be ignored or discounted.
The presence of the Pakistani army is important for maintaining peace in Afghanistan, which is why India should not take steps which will erode the ties between Afghanistan, India and Pakistan.
According to international news agencies, foreign troops will withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014, leaving the Afghan army to protect the country.
So, it is important that the local troops are fully armed and have the necessary training to protect the sovereignty of the country. India’s stakes in Afghanistan are high because of the close proximity between the two countries. Also, after the 2008 bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul, the Afghan government labeled India as a ‘brother country’.
Since India is helping Afghanistan, the latter has rewarded the former by allowing India to mine iron ore reserves in Afghanistan. Afghanistan and India have built a silk road between the countries, boosting medical tourism.
Many people from Afghanistan flock to India for medical treatment and this helps the Indian economy to grow. Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India have established the TAPI pipeline, which provides energy to all the four countries. So, India is benefitting greatly from this project as it is a victim of energy shortage.
So, India’s stakes in Afghanistan are high and it is hoped that both the countries will maintain cordial relations despite the growing tension in the region. It is hoped that through the strengthening of the ties between the two countries, India can forge new friendships with countries in the region, including Pakistan.
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