INDIA-AFGHANISTAN RELATIONS:

• Reflecting on the history of Afghanistan-India relations spanning over thousands of years, the enduring bond of the two nations is an effort and determination of the people of both the countries for an ever flourishing comprehensive strategic partnership.
•  Focusing on India’s cooperation with Afghanistan reaffirms the shared understanding that is indeed playing key role and making significant contributions to development, peace and stability thus bringing about brighter future for the two nations.
• The  trilateral partnership cooperation between US, India and Afghanistan reflects how the two countries support changes the landscape of the war-torn country and building human capacity for sustenance.
• The real progress will only show the marked improvement and possibilities generated over the course of time for the welfare of the Afghan people.
• Recognizing the age-old relation of Afghanistan-India’ enduring cultural ties, friendship and the shared vision of both the nations has paved the way for ever flourishing comprehensive strategic partnership.
• Afghanistan-India relations are at the developed phase and continuous efforts are required for greater achievements to live up to the expectations of the two nations. India’s more than $3 billion assistance to Afghanistan since 2001 is setting forth enduring social foundation for bilateral ties of the two nations.
• Nonetheless, development cooperation and joint efforts in education, training, culture, and people-to people contact are dynamic in itself.India’s ambitious target of $ 3 billion support to Afghanistan is creating major scope in creating Afghanistan’s potential at this crucial juncture.
• With the passage of time India’s relation with Afghanistan has grown magnificently. The Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) of 2011 is the finest framework of India’s neighbourhood policy that weaves together the deep rooted association with Afghanistan.
•  Over the past 17 years the relationship of the two nations are anchored on mutual trust and goodwill which is set off from humanitarian assistance to capacity building programmes as vital drivers for the benefit of Afghanistan.

The development partnership of India-Afghanistan is based on the principles of mutual sharing and solidarity which is branched the following founding modalities of development cooperation that includes:

• CAPACITY BUILDING 
• TRADE AND INVESTMENT
• TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION
• SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
• SECURITY CO-OPERATION

CAPACITY BUILDING

• India helped build Delaram-Zaranj highway connecting the Delaram district in Afghanistan to the border of Iran. It will provide Afghanistan with another outlet to a seaport in Chabahar in Iran and also facilitate its bilateral trade with India.
• India has constructed Afghan-India Friendship Dam (earlier known as Salma Dam) in Heart province.
• As a goodwill gesture, India constructed new parliament building in Afghanistan
• India also established Agriculture University ANASTU in Kandahar in 2014.

• India has constructed over 2,500 miles of roads in Afghanistan.
• India has built over 200 public and private schools, sponsors over a 1000 scholarships, hosts over 16,000 Afghan students
• Many Indian companies are involved in several reconstruction projects in Afghanistan.
• India is running several programmes for training and capacity building for civil servants and police force in Afghanistan.
• The development of Chabahar port project connecting India, Iran and Afghanistan with Central Asian countries has the potential to transform the  trade, commerce and connectivity in the region.
• The Chabahar port will promote connectivity through sea as well as improve the rail, road route bringing in investment and development in the region especially boosting railway, infrastructure and energy projects.

• In a recent development Afghanistan will be sending its goods to India every two weeks via Chabahar port starting from February creating opportunities for increased trade removing the obstacle of Afghanistan being landlocked.
• Among India’s support effort is the Air Freight Corridor programme with Afghanistan in 2017 which has grown exponentially with Kabul- Delhi, Kabul-Mumbai, Kabul-Kolkata, and Kabul-Amritsar cargo flights exchanged every week.
• There are more than 166 flights exchanged between India and Afghanistan. The Connectivity via land, sea and air will help seize opportunities with new and emerging markets.
• International Solar Alliance (ISA) an intergovernmental organisation to boost solar energy development with its headquarters in India aims to mobilize $ 1 trillion funds to achieve one terra watts of solar energy capacity by 2030. In the first General Assembly of International Solar Alliance (ISA) Afghanistan became the partner country last year will provide ample opportunity for solar rich country to build new ties by focusing on scientific collaborations under the ambit of neighbourliness.

SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

• The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has been playing a prominent role in enhancing and building educational capacities of Afghanistan through its various scholarship programmes. The initiatives taken by ICCR spell impressive growth in mobilizing education system and helping the students to contribute in the work force and for the development of Afghanistan.
• Education and cultural exchange programme has increased and it is believed that having received support from India will help Afghanistan in a big way. At present 1000 scholarship is provided to Afghan students and almost 16000 students are studying in various universities in India. Education has been the greatest single factor catalysing Afghanistan’s transformation. India’s cooperation in education and culture will help to achieve the great potential for development in Afghanistan.
• The New Development Partnership of Afghanistan and India under the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) signed in 2017 to the tune of $1 billion, in which India took up hundreds of development projects in Afghanistan in areas including agriculture, water, education, health, etc.
• India-Afghanistan Foundation promotes cultural and people to people contacts. To harness India’s sports potential, India has built Kandahar International Cricket Stadium.
• Women Empowerment is another important aspect in which India is extending tremendous support.India’s Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) imparting training on sustainable livelihood generation and to be the part of inclusive growth and to be self-reliant.
• The recent signing of 11 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth $ 9.5 million between India and Afghanistan in reinvigorating infrastructure development like establishing health clinics and government related projects is a witness of continued support of India for inclusive and sustainable growth of the war-torn nation

SECURITY  CO-OPERATION

• India’s security cooperation with Afghanistan has been strengthened by providing Mi-24 helicopters to Afghanistan.
•  India delivered four Mi-25 (Mi-24D) helicopters and three HAL Cheetah light utility helicopters to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) in December 2016.
• More than 4000 armed forces personnel of Afghanistan armed forces are undergoing training in various armed forces training institutes in India.

CHALLENGES FOR INDIA

• India s efforts to provide assistance to Afghanistan are hampered considerably by the lack of geographical contiguity and limited access.
• The prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and Pakistans continuing interference in Afghan affairs through proxies such as the Haqqani network.
• Growing terrorism in Afghanistan under influence of Al Qaeda and ISIS has created security concerns for India.
• Afghanistan, in the Golden Crescent, has been one of the most extensive opium-producing areas and drug, trafficked from Afghanistan into the Indian states like Punjab, has affected its youth and has also promoted terrorism and organized crime.
•  Afghanistan and Pakistan signed Afghanistan Pakistan Trade and Transit agreement (APTTA) which has been restrictive in the bilateral trade between India and Afghanistan
• Growing Chinese influence in Afghanistan has also created a diplomatic challenge for India.
• The heavy reluctance on the part of China and Pakistan to consider India a stakeholder and participant in the planning and execution of a reconstruction and development plan for Afghanistan is a major issue for New delhi.

SUMMING UP…

India-Afghanistan relations are aimed at a comprehensive development strategy that will foster and establish bilateral and multilateral relations which is better equipped to deal tough situations and bring peace and prosperity in the country and across the region.

Reflecting on the insights and recent developments it is observed that inspite of all challenges involved the relation between the two nations can be realised and greater achievements made to live up to not just the expectations of the people of India and Afghanistan but for the peace, tranquility and development of the region as a whole.