Invest now for future dividends

Firstly, Chanakya8217;s thesis is that an adversary8217;s neighbour must be your friend. An immediate breakthrough in India-Pakistan relations to the extent of having a very cosy relationship with Islamabad is unlikely. Even if that were to happen, realpolitik would still dictate India follow Chanakya8217;s philosophy.

The second consideration is the emerging importance of the Central Asian republics with their potentially huge hydrocarbon resources and a vast market for Indian goods. To have a friendly non-Taliban government in Afghanistan is, therefore, very essential for India8217;s strategic wellbeing. An unstable and Talibanised Afghanistan, which Pakistan is assiduously trying for, would have a direct bearing on the politically fragile republics in Central Asia and would be harmful for India8217;s strategic interests.

Third is the need to foil all attempts of the Islamic terror groups to incubate and prosper. To that extent an Afghan government sworn to remain anti-Taliban/ anti-Al-Qaeda and friendly towards India is an Indian imperative. And finally, because of Pakistani policies on Afghanistan, a great amount of antipathy exists amongst Afghans towards Pakistan, with the exception of the Taliban and their supporters in the South and East. Thus while Pakistan is viewed as a meddler, India is seen as the good Samaritan who helps without an axe to grind.

What steps, therefore, must India take to further its ties with Afghanistan? To begin with India enjoys an incredible amount of goodwill in that country. This has been reinforced by the fact that we have no conflict of interest with that country and have not interfered in their internal politics, except during the civil war involving the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. This goodwill gives us a headstart over all other actors in that country.

The regime headed by Hamid Karzai is, for the present, the best option for Afghanistan. It has its shortfalls but it is still the only option for the time being. We must support the current regime. President Karzai has an unenviable task of balancing the interests of all the ethnic groups. The civil war between the Taliban which is almost 100 percent Pashtun and the rest comprising the Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks has left ethnic scars which need care and adroit political handling. India must at all times appear to be clearly having an even-handed approach to all the ethnic groups to dispel any suspicion of our tilt towards the erstwhile Northern Alliance.

India has a large number of welfare aid projects already going on in Afghanistan. Strengthening these and initiating others will pay dividends out of proportion in the future. The one area where we must do more is to actively help in training personnel of the Afghan Defence Forces and the police. Because of Pakistan sensitivities NATO or the present Afghan Government may be reluctant to allow us to place training teams in their country. While we can explore that option, in the meanwhile we must open all stops for Afghan officers and troops to avail of courses in India. Their military hierarchy is only too keen to come here. The MEA could increase the allowances for such officers and troops, since that is one complaint they have. At a practical level some of their personnel wounded in action or in need of artificial limbs could be treated in military hospitals in India.