Indian Role in Afghanistan

[Oracle]

India has legitimate role in Afghanistan: Petraeus

Strongly refuting the Pakistani claim that India has no role in Afghanistan, new US Commander General David Petraeus has said that New Delhi has a legitimate interest in the region.

"India has legitimate interests in this region," Gen Petraeus, said in response to a question at his confirmation hearing for the US and NATO in Afghanistan before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The Senate Armed Services Committee later in the day confirmed him by a voice vote. His nomination now goes to the full Senate for confirmation.

Currently Commander of the US Central Command, Petraeus was nominated as the new US Commander for Afghanistan after Gen Stanley McChrystal was sacked from the post following the appearance of his interview in the Rolling Stone magazine in which he was highly critical of the Obama Administration.

Petraeus's remarks on India came in response to a question from Senator Kay Hagan who said that it's has been reported that Pakistan wants to be a channel to the Pashtuns in Afghanistan and wants to utilize reconciliation as the mechanism to influence Afghanistan and overt Indian regional encirclement.

"How will you work with the Afghan government and military to manage Pakistan's strategic interests?" he asked.

"We can certainly facilitate that dialogue, participate in the dialogue, be perhaps an honest broker in that dialogue. We are friends to both. We are enormously enabling both, you know, Pakistan is in a tough fight," he said.

"One if its fights, by the way, is to keep our lines of communication open. You enable us to provide substantial amounts of coalition support funding to them, well over $1 billion for the course of the past fiscal and calendar year, and then another somewhere well up into hundreds of millions in foreign military financing and other mechanisms, plus the $1.5 billion of Kerry-Lugar-Berman for each of the next five years," Petraeus said. "That's very important, and that's a symbol, again, of our sustained, substantial commitment. It shows that we do not want to do to them what we did after Charlie Wilson's war, which was having achieved the outcome that we wanted, washed our hands of it, and left. And I think it's very important," he observed.

"They've seen that movie before, as well. I think it's very important that they realize that we are in this with them, with both of them, and, by the way, with India, as well. India has legitimate interests in this region, without question, as do others, if you want to extend it further," Petraeus said.

"So I think we can facilitate that. This would be again, a civil-military effort very much. But we'll use those relationships that we have developed to that end," he said.

Meanwhile,Petraeus also said Pakistan's involvement in a reconciliation agreement in Afghanistan is essential and the United States needs to further this developing partnership between the two neighbouring countries.

According to a report in Dawn, the new US commander for Afghanistan also told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Afghan President Hamid Karzai had denied reports that he recently met a top leader of anti-Kabul network Sirajuddin Haqqani.

"Pakistani involvement in some form of reconciliation agreement, I think that that is essential," Gen Petraeus told the committee's chairman Senator Carl Levin, said Dawn.

"Clearly, we want to forge a partnership or further the partnership that has been developing between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Those countries are always going to be neighbours. And helping them develop a constructive relationship would be an important contribution," the general said.

But he also warned not to expect these recent contacts between Pakistan and Afghanistan to lead to an immediate reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Taliban insurgents.

"Now, whether that is possible, such an agreement, I think is going to depend on a number of factors that will play out over the course of the summer, including creating a sense among the Taliban that they are going to get hammered in the field and perhaps should look at some options," said the general.

http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/jun/30/india-has-legitimate-role-in-afghanistan-says-petraeus.htm

 

[ajtr]

Pakistan's role in Afghanistan
Ganging up on India​

Rumours fly as Karzai talks to Pakistan
Jul 1st 2010 | KANDAHAR

THE view from Pranav Ganesh's office was never spectacular, even before a very high wall started going up right through his garden. Behind it, another high wall protects India's consulate in Kandahar. Mr Ganesh's job, issuing Indian visas to Afghans, often for medical treatment, sounds humdrum. But an Indian diplomat could not work in a more dangerous spot.

This tiny diplomatic mission in the heart of Kandahar sends Pakistani officials into paroxysms of rage. They see the consulate, and three others in Jalalabad, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat, as fronts for anti-Pakistani activities, including support for Baluch insurgents inside Pakistan. Mr Ganesh scoffs at the suggestion that he is up to anything more than the day job.

Pakistan's long-held ambition for Afghanistan has been for it to provide "strategic depth" in the event of all-out war with India. So it resents the presence of the historic foe in places such as Kandahar, as well as India's aid programme, which has included building a road towards the Iranian border, to weaken Pakistan's grip over landlocked Afghanistan's trade.

Pakistan, says Mr Ganesh, "won't be happy until we have no diplomatic presence, including in Kabul." A recent tilt to Pakistan by the Afghan government has sparked fears of just such an outcome. Mr Karzai seems to have stopped lambasting Pakistan for tolerating sanctuaries within its borders for Taliban insurgents. He refrained from doing so even when he was presented with strong evidence that an attack on a tribal gathering he convened in Kabul in June was carried out by the Haqqani network, one of the three leading insurgent groups, which has close links to Pakistan's intelligence service.

Even more surprising is an outbreak of shuttle diplomacy. Generals Ashfaq Kayani, the head of the Pakistani army, and Ahmed Pasha, the intelligence chief, pop in on Mr Karzai. They want Pakistan to be central to any peace deal Mr Karzai may strike with insurgent groups, including Hizb-e-Islami and the Haqqani network. One unconfirmed report even had the two generals on one visit bringing Sirajuddin Haqqani, one of the network's leaders, who is on America's most-wanted list.

The Americans themselves do not believe the Pakistanis have as much control over the Haqqani network as they would like Afghanistan to believe. Nor do they set much store by a reported Haqqani-network promise to sever links with al-Qaeda. But, in the light of Mr Karzai's serial snubs to his American paymasters, some worry he might be preparing to ditch them for the sake of a deal with Islamabad.

Even before the dismissal of Stanley McChrystal, the American commander in Afghanistan, intense gloom had set in about America's military strategy. So peace deals could be seen as good news. But the risks are great. Already the Northern Alliance, the main anti-Taliban force in the country, is alarmed.

Pakistan has made clear that it wants India out of Afghanistan, including in a 56-page document given earlier this year to senior American officials. Even those Western diplomats who are keenest on early talks with the Taliban balk at giving Pakistan all it wants. Other countries, too, if excluded from any deal, are just as capable of meddling in Afghanistan. A comprehensive solution that accommodates all the interests of a complicated region, and keeps Mr Ganesh in his vista-less office in Kandahar, is hard to imagine.

 

[White Clouds]

India has legitimate role in Afghanistan: Petraeus

This is good news. I believe India should improve it's ties with Afghanistan and help build the nation which will also help us in trading raw material etc for future growth. The better our relations with the neighbors the better we will be on world stage.

However, we should also be careful that we don't go against Afghanistan people wishes. It's no secret Karzai government is rife with corruption and his younger brother has been said to have deep involvement in poppy trading. While taking steps to improve our relation with Afghanistan we should also keep in mind what Afghanistan citizens wants. It won't help us in long term if we support a bad government in Afghanistan against Afghan people wishes. We should help with infrastructure so it's mutually beneficial for both the countries.

 

[ajtr]

^^Thats only lip service Gen. Petraeus i doing.Just wait for usa to withdraw india either will loose its investment in afghanistan or if its want to stay in there it has only two option...
1. spill its citizens's blood (as india is so fond of doing ) and stay its course.
2.be reduce to pakistan's concubine in afghanistan and stay course.

And india is unable to do both of them hence it will pull out and will suck its twiddling thumb.

 

[ajtr]

India must stop whining and act aggressively to protect interests​

It increasingly appears that the United States and its Nato allies may not win the war in Afghanistan. They can but whether they have the will and wisdom to do so is in doubt.

A retreat which, whatever the face saving devices resorted to, is manifestly a defeat, will be disastrous for them. The consequences, however, will be more serious for India and will take little time to begin unrolling. Judging by the outcome of the London Conference on Afghanistan on January 28, and the events following, any settlement under which the US and its allies leave Afghanistan, will bear the stamp of Pakistan's brokerage, and will involve rewarding Islamabad for its services. There will be a Government of its choice in Afghanistan, of which the Afghan Taliban, headed by Mullah Mohammed Omar, and the militia headed by Sirajuddin, son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, will be an important part. Al Qaeda will be alive and well in that country given its close links with both organisations. India will have to forget the huge aid it has given to Afghanistan and drastically whittle down its diplomatic presence. Pakistan wants it out.

This will not be all. Having implemented its agenda in Afghanistan, and its morale hugely boosted by what it would rightfully consider a great victory, Pakistan will turn to implementing its long-term agenda vis-à-vis India. There will be a massive stepping up of its efforts to take Jammu & Kashmir and balkanise India through an unprecedented campaign of unconventional warfare. Those who might scoff at the thought should recall the massive increase in terrorist violence that rocked Jammu & Kashmir in 1989-90 after the Soviet Union's withdrawal from Afghanistan in February that year had released a large number of jihadis for deployment against India.

Things might have been much worse for India but for the continuing conflict in Afghanistan as a result of Pakistan's efforts to install a Government of its choice in Kabul. Support first to Gulbaddin Hekmatyer's militia and then to the Taliban, which it promoted from 1994 with the blessings of the CIA, prevented from making the annexation of Jammu & Kashmir and the destruction of India its full-time concern. With a Government in Kabul that is under its thumb, Islamabad will have no such distraction this time.

New Delhi will have to think along entirely new lines than hitherto to cope with the situation. It will be futile to depend on others. The London Conference, sponsored by Britain and co-hosted by the UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban-ki Moon and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, clearly indicated how easily the West can ride roughshod over India's concerns and interests when it comes to serving its own. The London conference not only rejected India's plea for not distinguishing between the 'good' and 'bad' Taliban but denied New Delhi any role in the Afghan peace process it was considering. It held out no guarantee that India's interests will be protected in a new set-up that might emerge in Afghanistan. Worse, it demonstrably insulted India by seating its Minister for External Affairs, Mr SM Krishna, in the second of the three rows for those attending, despite New Delhi being the biggest aid-giver to Afghanistan with a commitment of $1.3 billion.

India must aggressively ensure that it has a role in the Afghan peace process, that the Government running the country following the West's withdrawal is not a creature of Pakistan, and, failing to do so, must be fully prepared to deal with Pakistan's offensive. The first step will be to let countries know that they will have to choose between India and Pakistan, a failing State with a sick economy. Those that undermine India's interests in Afghanistan will not be regarded as its friend. They will not receive India's defence orders and access to India's booming market.

Nor will India lend them diplomatic support. The first recipient must be Britain, which, under the Labour Government, played the decisive role in India's marginalisation at the London Conference and led the charge to put Pakistan in the driver's seat in Afghanistan. The second will be acquiring an awesome capability in waging unconventional warfare to send Pakistan reeling when it launches its offensive. The days of conventional warfare are over.

 

[ajtr]

India will train Afghan civil services​

NEW DELHI: Continuing with its assistance to Afghanistan, India will now send officers from the Civil Services to train the Afghan Civil Services that is in its infancy. The Indian bureaucracy, established by the British, is more than 120 years old. The United Nations is keen to draw upon that collective institutional framework to train the Afghans.

India had signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Afghanistan earlier this year to establish the national building programme in Afghanistan. It was then decided to take the help of Indian officers to establish a robust civil governance system in Afghanistan.

The move comes close on the heels of Pakistan's repeated protests against the growing Indian "interests" in Afghanistan. The high-level Indian delegation that visited Pakistan last month, however, had made it clear to its neighbour that it had a legitimate right to develop relations with Afghanistan and Pakistan had no business to raise any objections. Pakistan has often expressed fears that India's control over Afghanistan is aimed at encircling it from both sides.

The Government of India has asked all state governments and departments in the Central ministries to send in names of officers who can serve on deputation to the UN in the war-ravaged country. A letter was circulated by the Ministry of Personnel a few days ago. The UN wants officers with a minimum of 10 years of experience.

The tenure of posting in Afghanistan will be for one year and a salary of $ 10,000 per month (roughly Rs 4.46 lakh) is promised to the official. This is more than six times the amount an officer of that seniority gets in India. The UN is looking at Indian officials for "coaching and mentoring" officers in the Afghanistan Civil Services.

 

[ajtr]

India has no other way than backing afghan govt move.For india its my way or highway now.

Kabul meet: India to back any move for peace in Afghanistan​

Amid Afghan government's efforts to bring Taliban elements into the mainstream, the upcoming Kabul conference is expected to see India expressing support for any reintegration move that leads to "genuine peace" in that country besides committing help in capacity building.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, who will attend the conference of about 50 countries on July 20, is expected to underline India's commitment to providing whatever help Afghanistan wants for its capacity-building.

Mr. Krishna is expected to convey India's support to Mr. Karzai government's efforts for reintegration of Taliban elements if that leads to "genuine peace", sources said.

India does not see anything wrong if individual Taliban cadres are rehabilitated after they give up violence, end physical and ideological links with terror, vow to abide by the Afghan Constitution and commit to respect human rights, including women's rights.

However, any reconciliation with Taliban as a group or entity is seen by India as dangerous.

The Kabul conference is taking place at a time when the Karzai government is working on a Peace and Reconciliation scheme aimed at bringing Taliban elements into the mainstream.

Under the scheme, foot soldiers or low and middle-level fighters of Taliban are to be attracted with promises of jobs, vocational training and education.

Mr. Krishna is also expected to emphasise that India will be forthcoming in providing whatever help Afghanistan wants for building of public institutions and other capacities, the sources said.

India is of the view that the Afghan people, instead of foreigners, should be determining their fate.

In this regard, building of capacities of Afghan people in various sectors will be the key.

During Mr. Karzai's visit here in April, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had emphasised that close cooperation between the two countries was in the interest of their people and peace and stability in the region and beyond.

He had told Mr. Karzai about India's commitment to augment its assistance for capacity building and for skill and human resources development to help strengthen public institutions there.

The Kabul conference will be attended among others by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The meet, being held at a time when the situation in Afghanistan is precarious, is expected to focus on deliverables of the Karzai government in terms of its reintegration moves.

 

[ajtr]

End of the game - K. Subrahmanyam​

Former US ambassador to India, former deputy national security adviser in the Bush administration and now senior fellow at the RAND Corporation, Robert Blackwill has outlined a new strategy for the US to deal with the Afghan Taliban, at minimum cost to American and allied forces. In one sense, it can be interpreted as the inexorable strategic logic that is bound to propel US action, sooner or later. Simply put, the strategy suggests that the US accept a de facto partition of Afghanistan between Pashtun and non-Pashtun areas, concentrate its forces in non-Pashtun areas, and maintain an effective air force including drones and special forces to strike relentlessly at the Taliban leadership in Pashtun areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.


Blackwill is compelled to advocate this strategy, given Pakistan's double game in dealing with the Afghan Taliban, corruption and the increasing alienation of the Karzai government, the inefficiency and combat-unworthiness of the Afghan forces being raised, and the tribal divisions in Pashtun Afghanistan. He argues that American and allied casualties are not commensurate with the results achieved, and are not likely to be, despite surges of various magnitudes. So he advocates adopting new policy goals for Afghanistan that, realistically, have a better chance of succeeding. This means accepting a de facto partition enforced by US and NATO air power and special forces, the Afghan army and international partners. The US should retain an active combat role in Afghanistan for years to come and should not accept permanent Taliban control of the south.

...
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In the context of de facto partition, Blackwill argues, "the sky over Pashtun Afghanistan would be dark with manned and unmanned coalition aircraft — targeting not only terrorists but the new Taliban government in all its dimensions". He accepts that "Pakistan would likely oppose de facto partition. Managing Islamabad's reaction would be no easy task — not least because the Pakistan military expects a strategic gain once the US military withdraws from Afghanistan. Indeed, Islamabad might need to be persuaded to concentrate, with the United States, on defeating the Pakistan Taliban and containing the Afghan Taliban to avoid momentum toward a fracturing of the Pakistan state."


The last sentence is pregnant with dark forebodings for Pakistan. A Taliban-dominated Pashtun Afghanistan and Pakistani Pashtun areas under Pakistani Taliban influence are likely to move towards their long-cherished goal of scrapping the Durand Line and uniting to form the independent Pashtunistan. If that were to happen, Baloch, Sindhi and Balti nationalist assertions cannot be far behind. The Taliban dominated Pashtunistan may conclude a deal with the US to break off with al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations. In that event, Pakistan, instead of gaining strategic depth in Afghanistan will be in danger of losing Pashtun areas of Pakistan. In the alternative theTaliban may continue its links with Al Qaeda and other terrorist organisations. In that case, their anger at being constantly hit by US airpower may turn on the Pakistan army and state with terrorist attacks on Pakistani Punjab being stepped up.
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The Blackwill article is a clear warning to the Pakistan army leadership and its supporters in the government who have deluded themselves and even persuaded a large number of policy makers and analysts in US, India and the West that the Pakistan army has all the aces in this game and the US is desperately dependent on Pakistan for its Afghan strategy.The present US strategy attempts to preserve the unity and integrity of Pakistan and Afghanistan, as it is today. The US is prepared to accept some costs to itself in terms of casualties to secure the best possible result. If the Pakistani army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) continue to play games with the US as they think they can and get away with it, then the US will have to secure its national security interests at the cost of Pakistani unity and integrity. That is the message of Blackwill's article. President Obama has many options between accepting defeat and withdrawal and being compelled to accept unacceptable casualties. The Pakistan army should not repeat the blunders of 1947-48, 1965, 1971 and 1999 through its overconfidence.

 

[ajtr]

Afghan goods head for India​

By Syed Fazl-e-Haider

KARACHI, Pakistan - Afghanistan and Pakistan on Sunday signed a deal to open their borders to more trade, including goods in transit from Afghanistan to India, in a move hailed by the United States as a sign of improved relations. The pact also gives Pakistan better access to Central Asia via Afghanistan.

The commerce ministers of the two Asian countries signed the document at the seventh round of talks for Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) in Islamabad in the presence of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was visiting the country ahead of an international conference in Kabul.

The agreement allows Afghanistan to move goods to the border crossing at Wagah, east of Lahore, and lorries leaving goods there to carry Pakistani products back to Afghanistan. It did not



however agree to allowing India a transit route to Afghanistan. Before it grants this, Islamabad wants transit facilities for Pakistani good through India to Nepal and Bhutan.

Afghanistan forms a land bridge between South and Central Asia and by virtue of its location it could emerge as a trade hub connecting its neighbors to the east with markets in the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. Before that happens, much has to be done to upgrade inadequate physical infrastructure such as roads, ports, and border crossings. Other constraints include customs issues, trade policies, permits, visa regulations, and endemic corruption.

Under President Hamid Karzai's government, Afghan trade has picked up in recent years, helped by trade deals with Iran, India and the Central Asian states, all of which grant major concessions to Afghan goods. The efforts have been made to reduce dependence on Pakistan, which has been Afghanistan's principle trading partner and entry port for imports and exports.

Annual trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan, at present worth more than US$1 billion, is expected to reach $2 billion per annum after the signing of the new agreement. The bilateral trade is, however, one-sided as it comprises larger imports from Pakistan, with little scope for formal Afghan exports. Afghan's transit trade through Pakistan has increased to $1.07 billion in 2009 from $161 million in 2000. The country's main exports include fruits and nuts, gemstones and fabrics such as handwoven carpets, wool and cotton.

US officials consider the new APTTA a victory for the US administration, which has been encouraging closer relations between the two countries as a cornerstone of its efforts to fight Taliban extremists in Afghanistan. The US had given Pakistan a November 30, 2009, deadline to sign the agreement but the government slowed the process on the grounds that it could not finalize the pact before consultation with the private sector.

The deal represents "the most significant bilateral economic treaty ever signed between Afghanistan and Pakistan," Bloomberg reported, citing a statement released by the US Embassy in Islamabad. The two Asian countries agreed to expand existing trade routes and open new ones, which may help curb smuggling and other illicit border commerce.

Under the new trade agreement, Pakistan will have trade access to Central Asia, according to the Dawn News, a private TV Channel. It was also established that only licensed individuals are to benefit from the transit trade.

The denial by Pakistan of a transit facility for Indian goods destined for Afghanistan, where they are in high demand, means that these will continue to be smuggled there after being imported into Pakistan, Daily Times reported, citing a member of the Afghan delegation. An official transit facility would cut costs, undermining the illicit trade and benefiting Afghan consumers.

The rejection of Kabul's demand for transit trade rights for India was not unexpected, said an editorial published in Dawn newspaper. "Given the bilateral tensions and mistrust, few expect the two governments to agree to allow each other land transit rights. In fact, the two countries' mutual suspicions are inhibiting the expansion of intra-regional trade in South Asia, which remains the world's least integrated area. The vast potential for trade within the region is largely untapped, mostly because of India-Pakistan hostilities," it said.

Still, the Afghan business community welcomed the expected decision to open trade between Kabul and New Delhi. "If we sign this agreement, it will decrease [differences] because we will have found a way for everyone to carry out business without any problems," Reuters reported Abdul Qadir Bahman, the director of Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce, as saying.

The deal was less welcome in Pakistan, where critics say goods brought to Afghanistan under the 1965 Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA) hurt local industries, which struggle to compete with the duty-free goods smuggled back to Pakistan from Afghanistan. If the agreement had been extended to allowing India to use the Wagah-Khyber transit route it would lead to the closure of remaining industrial units, they said.

Under the new agreement, the two countries are to cooperate more closely to tackle smuggling. The Afghan side reportedly asked Pakistan to cut import duties on officially imported items so as to undermine the profit margins on duty-evading smuggled goods.

On the other side, Pakistani traders claim they suffer from discriminatory policies on the part of the Afghan government and demand that bilateral trade be on an equal basis and that Kabul provide the same facilities as are being provided by Islamabad. The Afghan government imposes an 18% import duty on Pakistani goods, whereas there is no import duty on Indian items.

Transit to Afghanistan through Pakistan has been governed by the ATTA, which specifies ports, routes, transport and customs transit procedures. These curbs have served as an umbrella for extensive smuggling of imported products such as tires, black tea and electronics goods, booked for Afghanistan, into Pakistan, undermining local industry and legal imports.

The National Assembly's Standing Committee on Finance said in January that the Afghan Transit Trade was the main source of smuggling into Pakistan, estimated at $4 billion to $5 billion annually with an associated revenue loss of $2.5 billion.

 

[ajtr]

Krishna meets Karzai, expresses India's support for his efforts​

Anil K Joseph | Kabul

India on Monday expressed full support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai's efforts to usher in peace, stability and development in the war-torn country, which is witnessing an upsurge in terrorist attacks by the Taliban.

Soon after his arrival in Kabul for the International Conference on Afghanistan on Tuesday, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna called on Karzai at his fortified Presidential palace.

Krishna reiterated India's support for President Karzai's efforts to bring about peace, stability and development in Afghanistan during the meeting, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said.

"The meeting was very useful and cordial," he said, adding that during the 45-minute meeting, the two sides conducted extensive exchange of views on bilateral ties and issues of common interests. PTI

 

[SHASH2K2]

Afghanistan, sitting on vast reserves of iron, copper, cobalt and gold, has invited Indian companies to tap the nearly $1 trillion worth of minerals discovered in the country as the two nations try to enhance and diversify their trade ties.
Afghan Minister for Minerals Wahidullah Shahrani, who met visiting External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna here on Monday night, said his government was moving ahead with plans to tap the huge mineral resources recently discovered in his country and welcomed Indian companies to tap the resources, official sources said.

"We welcome Indian companies with good reputation to tap the resources in Afghanistan," the sources quoted the Afghan minister as saying.

Indian officials here said they were quite confident that many Indian companies will succeed in operating in Afghanistan despite the security problems posed by the Taliban.

The Afghan government is moving ahead with open tendering and making the necessary infrastructure for the mining industry.

They noted that companies like ArcelorMittal have held roadshows in Afghanistan recently and have expressed keen interest in tapping the minerals.

Moreover, the just-inked Afghan-Pakistan trade agreement would make it easier for Indian companies to excavate the export the minerals to India via road.

The United States has recently discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself.

The previously unknown deposits -- including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium -- are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centres in the world, the New York Times quoted American officials as saying.

An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the "Saudi Arabia of lithium," a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys.

The vast scale of Afghanistan's mineral wealth was discovered by a small team of Pentagon officials and American geologists.

While it could take many years to develop a mining industry, the potential is so great that officials and executives in the industry believe it could attract heavy investment even before mines are profitable, providing the possibility of jobs that could distract from generations of war.

The value of the newly discovered mineral deposits dwarfs the size of Afghanistan's existing war-bedraggled economy, which is based largely on opium production and narcotics trafficking as well as aid from the United States and other industrialised countries.

Afghanistan's gross domestic product is only about $12 billion.

The mineral deposits are scattered throughout the country, including in the southern and eastern regions along the border with Pakistan that have had some of the most intense combat in the American-led war against the Taliban insurgency, the Times said.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/105990/World/afghanistan-invites-indian-companies-to-tap-resources.html

 

[ajtr]

India to resume medical mission work in Afghanistan​

KABUL: India is set to resume its much-acclaimed medical mission work in Afghanistan which was scaled down following the terror attack in Kabul early this year that left nine Indians dead, senior officials said here on Tuesday.

"There is no scaling back. We are in the process of resuming full-fledged operations in Afghanistan," a senior Indian official said.

India launched the medical missions in Afghanistan in 2001-2002 and was operating five such missions in Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif.

Though the Mazar-e-Sharif medical mission is functioning normally, the other four missions spread around the war-torn Afghanistan were temporarily suspended, the officials said.

The operation of the Indian medical mission at Kabul was suspended temporarily as the required staff and security was not available after the February 26 coordinated suicide attacks by Taliban at two hotels in Kabul that killed nine Indians, including two Major rank Army officers.

Of the 11-member medical team, one of the six doctors was killed in the attack and others injured.

The medical missions in Kabul and Kandahar are expected to resume full-fledged operations soon, the sources said.

"We are putting in extra security measures to ensure that our operations are not hampered in future," an Indian embassy official here said.

The Indian medical mission in Afghanistan has treated over 3 lakh patients, mostly women and children so far. The patients were given free treatment as well as medicines.

During external affairs minister S M Krishna's talks with Afghan national security advisor Rangin Dadfar Spanta here on Monday, the issue of security for Indian nationals working in the country figured prominently.

Krishna sensitised the Afghan government on the Indian government's concern over security for its nationals in Afghanistan and sought adequate security for them.

Spanta assured Krishna that the afghan government would take whatever steps it could to ensure that the "Indian guests" who have been doing impressive work in Afghanistan would be given adequate protection.

Nine years after US-led troops toppled their government, the Taliban have made a comeback and have inflicted heavy losses on foreign forces and has attacked foreign aid workers in the country.

The Taliban have repeatedly turned down past peace overtures from the Afghan government, saying they group will engage in peace talks only when all of the 140,000 foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

 

[SHASH2K2]

KABUL: India on Tuesday firmly said there cannot be any selective approach in fighting terrorism and sought an end to sustenance and sanctuaries for terrorists from outside Afghanistan, a veiled reference to terror camps in Pakistan.

New Delhi also said that any new process to stabilise the war-torn Afghanistan must be fully "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" where violence is given up and all links with terrorism--whether 'jehadi' or state-sponsored--cut off.

The international community should ensure that there is no selectivity in dealing with terrorism, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said in a statement at the international conference on Afghanistan. He supported the Afghan peace process which, he said, should be "inclusive and transparent."

"Terrorism cannot be compartmentalised. Today, one cannot distinguish between al-Qaida and plethora of terrorist organisations which have imbibed the goals and techniques of al-Qaida.

"It is therefore, essential to ensure that support, sustenance and sanctuaries for terrorist organisations from outside Afghanistan are ended forthwith," he told the delegates, including his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi who was among the 30-odd Foreign Ministers present at the meet. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also present at the meet attended by 70 countries.

He said the new process to stabilise the war-torn country must carry all sections of the nation's population.

Describing India and Afghanistan as "historic friends," Krishna said New Delhi has contributed to this country's efforts in nation-building and reconstruction "entirely in accordance with the priorities of the Afghan government and people."

"The international community must learn lessons from past experiences at negotiating with fundamentalist and extremist organisations and ensure that any peace process is conducted in an inclusive and transparent manner," Krishna said.

"India also supports Afghanistan's efforts towards peace and reintegration. But for such effort to succeed, it must be fully Afghan-led and Afghan-owned and carry all sections of Afghanistan's population together as well as abide by the redlines agreed to at the London Conference," he said.

The London Conference on Afghanistan, he noted, had emphasised on giving up violence, cutting off all links with terrorism - whether 'jehadi' or state-sponsored - and accepting the democratic and pluralistic values of the Afghan Constitution, including women's rights.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-not-for-any-selective-approach-to-terrorism/articleshow/6192528.cms

 

[SHASH2K2]

China Warily Eyes U.S.-Korea Drills

SEOUL, South Korea — The United States and South Korea announced Tuesday that the first in a series of large-scale naval exercises off Japan and the Korean Peninsula would begin next week, despite objections from China.

The exercises, they said, are meant as a show of force and a "first step" in trying to deter North Korea from acts of aggression in the region, nearly four months after the sinking of a South Korean warship that the Americans and South Koreans have blamed on the North.

The first of the exercises, to be conducted from Sunday to Wednesday in the Sea of Japan, are to include an American aircraft carrier — the nuclear-powered George Washington, one of the largest warships in the world — and 20 ships and submarines, and 100 aircraft, involving 8,000 men and women from the American and South Korean armed services.

The Defense Department said that later exercises would be conducted in the Yellow Sea, which is on the other side of the Korean Peninsula and claimed by China as a military operations zone. Adm. Robert F. Willard, the commander of the United States Pacific Command, and American defense officials would not say whether those exercises would include the George Washington.

China, which has growing naval ambitions and is North Korea's most important ally and biggest trading partner, has made clear that it objects to any foreign operations in the Yellow Sea. Most pointedly, on Tuesday, the state-run English-language China Daily printed a front-page article announcing China's own just-completed exercises there.

The report said the purpose of the Chinese exercise, Warfare 2010, was to improve defense capabilities against long-distance attacks. Four helicopters and four rescue vessels took part in the exercise on Saturday. The next day, tanks were loaded onto vessels at a port in Shandong Province. Trains were also used to transport tanks and other military equipment to ships.

In a sign that China was moderating its response, the report cited military analysts saying that the drill was a routine logistics mission and had little to do with the imminent exercises by the United States and South Korea, though one was quoted as saying the timing was not an "entire coincidence."

The United States appeared to shrug off the Chinese drill.

"I don't think it's a cause for any concern," Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary traveling with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, said Tuesday in Seoul. "We operate in international waters, and we wouldn't preclude them from doing the same thing."

China has refused to agree with the conclusion of South Korea's investigation into the March sinking of its warship, the Cheonan, which resulted in the deaths of 46 sailors. The investigation, conducted with the help of international experts, found that a North Korean torpedo was responsible. North Korea has denied responsibility and called the investigation a lie.

Earlier, Admiral Willard referred to the case in dismissing Chinese objections to the joint exercises. "If I have a concern vis-à-vis China," he said, "it is that China exert itself to influence Pyongyang so that incidents like the Cheonan don't happen in the future."

The exercises come at a time when China is expanding the mission of its navy and asserting its sovereignty over waters claimed by other Asian nations. Chinese admirals say the navy is prepared to go beyond its traditional role of coastal defense and engage in "far sea defense" — sending ships to waters between the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Malacca to protect Chinese economic interests. The Chinese Navy is pushing operations into parts of the Pacific usually dominated by the United States Navy, and China is making bolder claims to portions of the South China Sea claimed by other Southeast Asian countries.

The drumbeat of Chinese concern over the United States-South Korean exercises has been steady. In early July, People's Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party, reported that Gen. Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, said that China "strongly opposed" the exercises.

Last week, the online edition of People's Daily published a detailed five-point criticism by Maj. Gen. Luo Yuan, a deputy secretary general with the People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences, who stressed the importance of the Yellow Sea as "a gateway to China's capital region and a vital passage to the heartland of Beijing and Tianjin."

"In history, foreign invaders repeatedly took the Yellow Sea as an entrance to enter the heartland of Beijing and Tianjin," he said. "The drill area selected by the United States and South Korea is only 500 kilometers away from Beijing. China will be aware of the security pressure from military exercises conducted by any country in an area that is so close to China's heartland."

General Luo quoted a saying from Mao: "We will never allow others to keep snoring beside our beds."

The United States and South Korea made the announcement about the timing of the first exercise after Mr. Gates met with South Korean's defense minister, Kim Tae-young, on Tuesday afternoon.

"This exercise will demonstrate the resolute will and capabilities of both the South Korean and U.S. militaries," said Gen. Han Min-koo, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a statement released by the South Korean military. "Based on our defense readiness, we will instantly retaliate against any provocation from now on and wrap up our operation at the scene of the provocation."

The exercises will include antisubmarine warfare techniques and the interdiction of cargo vessels carrying prohibited nuclear materials and banned weapons.

 

[sadhartha]

India must be careful to play its role in Afghanistan because its also a big question for America & NATO forces to survive there.

 

[nitesh]

The Right to Happiness | OPEN Magazine
It took just one visit to Kabul to appreciate what we take so much for granted.

I asked a man who was hanging around: "Where is Mullah Omar?"

"In Pervez Musharraf's house in Islamabad," he said.

We went to a restaurant for lunch and were shocked by the lack of service, sheer rudeness. Finally, it came to a point when I went up to the owner, who was sitting at the cash counter, and asked him what the hell was wrong. "Pakistani, no service," he told me. "But we are Hindustani," I told him. His demeanour changed miraculously. "Hindustani!" he said. "Half price, double service!" And he insisted on charging us only half of what was mentioned in the menu.

 

[ajtr]

The Right to Happiness | OPEN Magazine
It took just one visit to Kabul to appreciate what we take so much for granted.

We hear same sorts of stories from indian visitors to pakistan too....Don't we???Even then Indian demonise them.What is so different in both these cases that indians due to their perpetual hatred towards ordinary pakistanis are ungrateful to them and paint then as terrorists by sheer generalization.

 

[o'conor]

We hear same sorts of stories from indian visitors to pakistan too....Don't we???Even then Indian demonise them.What is so different in both these cases that indians due to their perpetual hatred towards ordinary pakistanis are ungrateful to them and paint then as terrorists by sheer generalization.

When there are people like Hamid Gul & Zaid Hamid in Pakistan openly declaring jihad agaist India & defending killings of innocent people in Mumbai & these ordinary pakistani people cheering them, then these words sounds a bit funny from you. :emot154:

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Afghan National Army: Photos and Multimedia

This thread is for all pictures of Afghanistan's Afghan National Army on Defense Forum of India, Feel free to post any pictures available here.

 

[Kunal Biswas]