| ID | 110162 |
| Title Proper | India's Af-Pak conundrum |
| Other Title Information | south Asia in flux |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Pant, Harsh V |
| Publication | 2012. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The risks to global security from a failure in Afghanistan are great. Abandoning the goal of establishing both a functioning Afghan state and a moderate Pakistan places greater pressure on Indian security. Pakistani intelligence would be emboldened to escalate terrorist attacks against India once it is satisfied that the Taliban would provide it strategic depth in Afghanistan. This would surely force retaliation from India.
As the strategic realities in South Asia radically altered after Osama bin Laden's death on May 2, 2011, the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, lost no time in reaching out to Afghanistan with his two day visit to Kabul. There he announced a fresh commitment of $500 million for Afghanistan's development, over and above India's existing aid assistance of around $1.5 billion.1 New Delhi and Kabul agreed that the "strategic partnership" between the two neighbors, to be implemented under the framework of a partnership council headed by the foreign ministers of the two nations, will entail cooperation in areas of security, law enforcement and justice, including an enhanced focus on cooperation in the fight against international terrorism, organized crime, illegal trafficking in narcotics, and money-laundering. The Indian Prime Minister was presented with a rare honor, addressing a joint session of the Afghan Parliament to underscore Indo-Afghan unity in fighting extremism. Most significant was Singh's expression of his country's support for the Afghan government's plan of national reconciliation involving Taliban insurgents, thereby signally an end to India's public opposition to a deal with the Taliban, and bridging a strategic gap with the United States.2
Though initially Singh was to visit Kabul earlier, the United States persuaded the Indian government to postpone the visit. The reasons for this request became clear later, but it allowed New Delhi to express its urgent regional foreign policy priorities to the international community at a time when the Obama Administration has made categorical its intention to end the combat role of American forces in Afghanistan by 2014. |
| `In' analytical Note | Orbis Vol. 56, No.1;Winter 2012: p.105-117 |
| Journal Source | Orbis Vol. 56, No.1;Winter 2012: p.105-117 |
| Key Words | Global Security ; Afghanistan ; Pakistan ; India ; Taliban ; Indian Security ; South Asia ; Manmohan Singh ; Money Laundering |