New Delhi
22 January 2010
India's role in Afghanistan is set to get a boost with key members of the
international community sounding her out for training larger numbers of Afghan civilian
police and paramilitary personnel.
Earlier this week, visiting US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates mentioned a possible
role for India in "some limited area of training". Now Britain has joined the chorus by
noting that India is better placed than Europe for this task.
Roping in India for training purposes will deliver "more bang for the buck[,]" British High
Commissioner to India Richard Stagg told reporters here Friday.
Since 2002, Germany has handled the training of the Afghan National Police. India has
trained the Afghans, too, but on a small scale. New Delhi has since indicated its desire
to do more, depending on the requirements of President Hamid Karzai's Government in
Kabul.
Minister of External Affairs SM Krishna, who will represent India at the January 28
London Conference on Afghanistan and Pakistan, is expected to announce new
initiatives in the areas of agriculture, capacity-building, training and exchange of
experts.
British High Commissioner Richard Stagg is equally supportive of India's quest for an
overland trade transit route to Afghanistan via Pakistan, saying that it can promote
regional trade.
Trade is an important link that will offer mutual benefit to all, he said.
Free movement of goods will integrate Afghanistan into the South Asian economy, but
Pakistan is reluctant to open its land route for transit trade.
The British envoy also said that "Pakistan needs to take more action against a range of
terrorist groups", including the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), and dismantle the infrastructure
of terrorism operating on its soil.
India's advocacy of a regional framework of economic cooperation also found resonance
in a 39-page US document, titled "Afghanistan and Pakistan: Regional Stabilisation
Strategy", released by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It speaks of shifting "the
calculus of Afghanistan's neighbours from competition in Afghanistan to cooperation and
economic integration[.]"
India has already pledged more than 1.2 billion dollars, making her one of Afghanistan's
largest partners. India's development assistance has been lauded by the international
community, most recently by US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates who described it as
"ideal".
No comments:
Post a Comment