New Delhi
12 April 2008
An American think tank has suggested a fine balancing act is needed
between India and Pakistan in Afghanistan to ensure the war-torn nation's smooth
transition to peace and economic growth.
The April 3 report, entitled "India and Pakistan in Afghanistan: Hostile Sports", says India
and Pakistan share deep cultural and historic ties with Afghanistan but have for decades
had competing strategic agendas there.
In the report, Teresita C Schaffer, a former US ambassador to Sri Lanka, and Raja
Karthikeya Gundu argue mutual suspicions make it difficult to get Afghanistan's
neighbours to pull together in stabilising the country.
According to Schaffer and Gundu, if India can find even modest ways of working in
harmony with the Pakistani government, it could reap substantial benefits in its relations
with both countries.
"The new 'great game' may continue, but it will be more of chess, less of tug-of-war,"
they said.
They go on to argue that with a new government in Pakistan determined to convince its
people that Pakistan is defending its own interests rather than following a US lead, US
policy will need to respect the Pakistan government's need for political space.
At the same time, "a fine balancing act" is needed between India and Pakistan in
Afghanistan to ensure Afghanistan's smooth transition, peace, and economic growth.
Accordingly, they suggested, the US will need to find new, more subtle, and "less
publicly prominent ways" of pursuing its goal of stabilisation of Afghanistan. "India too
will need to tailor its Afghan policy to the new situation in Pakistan," they said.
The report made certain interesting observations. For instance, it talks about how India
offered to send troops to Afghanistan but "given Pakistan's resistance, the United States
had turned [it] down".
Even the placement of the Indian paramilitary troops close to its western frontier troubles
Pakistan, it said, referring India's decision to send in reinforcement to protect her
nationals working on the road construction projects in Afghanistan.
The report described how India's role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan has acted as
an exertion of its soft power, which Pakistan views with concern. India is helping to build
the Delaram-Zaranj road and another linking Kandahar with Spin Boldak.
Even in projects carried out by American or European contractors, such as the Kabul-
Kandahar highway, it has become commonplace to see Indian subcontractors being
engaged, creating "positive perceptions" among the local Afghan populace.
It dwells on the economic stakes for India and Pakistan in Afghanistan. India is building a
port in Chabahar in Iran, which Pakistan sees as a rival that could drain business away
from its port at Gwadar, built with Chinese assistance.
"India has also expanded its relations with the Central Asian countries to Afghanistan's
north and west, a move that has sparked some of the competitive impulses within
Pakistan. This Indian presence stoked Pakistan's fears," according to the report.
Schaffer and Gundu said managing the conflict in Afghanistan remains the most urgent
issue in the US's relations with Pakistan but they concluded that the US has "given far
greater weight to Pakistan's sensitivities than to India's."
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