India-Afghanistan : Overview

India’s investment in Afghanistan:

  • India’s reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan has been over $2 billion
  • A hospital in Kabul
  • The country’s parliament building
  • A 218 km road from Zaranj to Delaram for better connectivity from the Iranian border
  • The 220kV DC transmission line from Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul
  • Salma dam in Herath, also called the Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam
  • Training Afghanistan’s policemen and civil servants
  • Scholarships, cultural exchanges and goodwill gestures like food supply after earthquakes
  • Bollywood movies and cricket are a big hit in Afghanistan
  • Afghans view Indians as their friends
  • More recently India has donated M-25 attack helicopters to Afghanistan which is seen as a policy shift as earlier India avoided any military support
Concerns:
  • Taliban is still strong and its anti-Indian nature
  • Strong interference of Pakistan in Afghan affairs
  • Increased interest of China due to OBOR initiative and Afghanistan’s mineral resources
  • Withdrawal of US forces

 

 

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