India - Afghanistan Relations | International Relations for UPSC 2024 (Pre & Mains) PDF Download

 Page 1


 
India-Afghanistan 
•India remains an integral part of Afghanistan’s steady progress in institutionalising peace, pluralism and 
prosperity 
•
Afghanistan is also the largest recipient of international student scholarships offered by the Indian 
Council for Cultural Relations 
Trade 
•The bilateral trade between India and Afghanistan is USD 900 million and with opening of air corridor 
our target to take it to USD 2 billion by 2020  
•
Afghanistan has opened up its power, pharmaceutical, optical cable manufacturing and other sectors by 
allowing 100 per cent foreign direct investment where it is looking forward to signi?cant participation 
from Indian ?rms  
•Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
!
Page 2


 
India-Afghanistan 
•India remains an integral part of Afghanistan’s steady progress in institutionalising peace, pluralism and 
prosperity 
•
Afghanistan is also the largest recipient of international student scholarships offered by the Indian 
Council for Cultural Relations 
Trade 
•The bilateral trade between India and Afghanistan is USD 900 million and with opening of air corridor 
our target to take it to USD 2 billion by 2020  
•
Afghanistan has opened up its power, pharmaceutical, optical cable manufacturing and other sectors by 
allowing 100 per cent foreign direct investment where it is looking forward to signi?cant participation 
from Indian ?rms  
•Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
?The transit relation fo Afghanistan and Pakistan stem from the UN Conventions and General 
Agreement on T ariffs and Trade (GATT). As such, Pakistan had to provide transit facility to 
Afghanistan  Bilateral agreement, signed in 2010, allowing for movement of goods between the two 
countries  
?It superseded the 1965 Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement which granted Afghanistan the right 
to import duty-free goods through Pakistani seaports  
? It did not offer Pakistan reciprocal rights to export goods to the Soviet Union, nor the Central 
Asian Republics after the fall of the USSR 
?It was encouraged largely by the US, which professed that greater regional connectivity between 
South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle-East would help jumpstart Afghanistan’s economy  
?Primary grievance that Afghanistan has with the current APTTA is that is does not allow for bilateral 
trade with India  
? Afghan goods can unload at Wagah for Indian destination, but cannot take Indian goods back to 
Afghanistan 
India’s Afghan Policy 
•
Of?cially, India maintains support for an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led reconciliation process. New Delhi 
wants the Kabul government to be the key player in the talks with the T aliban 
•
India’s room for maneuver in Afghanistan is constrained by structural aspects, such as its limited material 
capacities, reputational concerns, and lack of geographical contiguity 
?Unlike US, India does not have the ?nancial resources to support state building in Afghanistan 
•
India’s only pathway to achieve its security goals has been reliant on its developmental and humanitarian 
assistance to cultivate goodwill within the masses and the political community 
•
Key Areas of Focus 
?Humanitarian assistance 
?Major infrastructure projects 
?Small and community-based development 
?Education and capacity-building 
•
Afghanisation: Investing in capacity-building by putting Afghans in charge of the projects funded by India 
(from large-scale infrastructure programmes to the small-scale development and community-building 
initiatives) through unconditional ‘no-strings-attached’ direct pavements which distinguishes it from 
other international donors 
India’s Contribution to Afghanistan  
•India has built a sizeable developmental and considerable intelligence footprint in Afghanistan, spending 
more than $2 billion in aid and infrastructural development, and reopened consulates across the war-
torn country 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
!
Page 3


 
India-Afghanistan 
•India remains an integral part of Afghanistan’s steady progress in institutionalising peace, pluralism and 
prosperity 
•
Afghanistan is also the largest recipient of international student scholarships offered by the Indian 
Council for Cultural Relations 
Trade 
•The bilateral trade between India and Afghanistan is USD 900 million and with opening of air corridor 
our target to take it to USD 2 billion by 2020  
•
Afghanistan has opened up its power, pharmaceutical, optical cable manufacturing and other sectors by 
allowing 100 per cent foreign direct investment where it is looking forward to signi?cant participation 
from Indian ?rms  
•Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
?The transit relation fo Afghanistan and Pakistan stem from the UN Conventions and General 
Agreement on T ariffs and Trade (GATT). As such, Pakistan had to provide transit facility to 
Afghanistan  Bilateral agreement, signed in 2010, allowing for movement of goods between the two 
countries  
?It superseded the 1965 Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement which granted Afghanistan the right 
to import duty-free goods through Pakistani seaports  
? It did not offer Pakistan reciprocal rights to export goods to the Soviet Union, nor the Central 
Asian Republics after the fall of the USSR 
?It was encouraged largely by the US, which professed that greater regional connectivity between 
South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle-East would help jumpstart Afghanistan’s economy  
?Primary grievance that Afghanistan has with the current APTTA is that is does not allow for bilateral 
trade with India  
? Afghan goods can unload at Wagah for Indian destination, but cannot take Indian goods back to 
Afghanistan 
India’s Afghan Policy 
•
Of?cially, India maintains support for an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led reconciliation process. New Delhi 
wants the Kabul government to be the key player in the talks with the T aliban 
•
India’s room for maneuver in Afghanistan is constrained by structural aspects, such as its limited material 
capacities, reputational concerns, and lack of geographical contiguity 
?Unlike US, India does not have the ?nancial resources to support state building in Afghanistan 
•
India’s only pathway to achieve its security goals has been reliant on its developmental and humanitarian 
assistance to cultivate goodwill within the masses and the political community 
•
Key Areas of Focus 
?Humanitarian assistance 
?Major infrastructure projects 
?Small and community-based development 
?Education and capacity-building 
•
Afghanisation: Investing in capacity-building by putting Afghans in charge of the projects funded by India 
(from large-scale infrastructure programmes to the small-scale development and community-building 
initiatives) through unconditional ‘no-strings-attached’ direct pavements which distinguishes it from 
other international donors 
India’s Contribution to Afghanistan  
•India has built a sizeable developmental and considerable intelligence footprint in Afghanistan, spending 
more than $2 billion in aid and infrastructural development, and reopened consulates across the war-
torn country 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
•Training of Afghan police, army, and intelligence of?cers, as well as its consular presence, offered India 
insight into the ground realities of the Afghan war 
•
Direct Air Freight Corridor 
?The connectivity established through the Air Freight Corridor will provide Afghanistan, a 
landlocked country, greater access to markets in India and will allow Afghan businessmen to 
leverage India’s economic growth and trade networks for its bene?t 
?It will enable Afghan farmers quick and direct access to the Indian markets for their perishable 
produce 
•Chabahar Port 
?Located in the Sistan-Baluchistan province in Iran, it is an important infrastructure development 
project being currently undertaken by both India and Iran for enhancing sea-land connectivity with 
Afghanistan and Central Asian Region 
?A Trilateral Transit and Transport arrangement between India-Afghanistan-Iran is envisaged to 
create a reliable legal framework to ensure smooth ?ow of goods and vehicles between Chabahar 
port and Afghanistan through Iran 
?Wheat 
•
Road from Zaranj to Delaram  
?218 km road from Zaranj to Delaram for facilitating movement of goods and services to the Iranian 
border was completed in 2010 
?The highway will connect Iran with the Garland Highway which links Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar-e-
Sharif, Herat and Kunduz? ? www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
!
Page 4


 
India-Afghanistan 
•India remains an integral part of Afghanistan’s steady progress in institutionalising peace, pluralism and 
prosperity 
•
Afghanistan is also the largest recipient of international student scholarships offered by the Indian 
Council for Cultural Relations 
Trade 
•The bilateral trade between India and Afghanistan is USD 900 million and with opening of air corridor 
our target to take it to USD 2 billion by 2020  
•
Afghanistan has opened up its power, pharmaceutical, optical cable manufacturing and other sectors by 
allowing 100 per cent foreign direct investment where it is looking forward to signi?cant participation 
from Indian ?rms  
•Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
?The transit relation fo Afghanistan and Pakistan stem from the UN Conventions and General 
Agreement on T ariffs and Trade (GATT). As such, Pakistan had to provide transit facility to 
Afghanistan  Bilateral agreement, signed in 2010, allowing for movement of goods between the two 
countries  
?It superseded the 1965 Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement which granted Afghanistan the right 
to import duty-free goods through Pakistani seaports  
? It did not offer Pakistan reciprocal rights to export goods to the Soviet Union, nor the Central 
Asian Republics after the fall of the USSR 
?It was encouraged largely by the US, which professed that greater regional connectivity between 
South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle-East would help jumpstart Afghanistan’s economy  
?Primary grievance that Afghanistan has with the current APTTA is that is does not allow for bilateral 
trade with India  
? Afghan goods can unload at Wagah for Indian destination, but cannot take Indian goods back to 
Afghanistan 
India’s Afghan Policy 
•
Of?cially, India maintains support for an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led reconciliation process. New Delhi 
wants the Kabul government to be the key player in the talks with the T aliban 
•
India’s room for maneuver in Afghanistan is constrained by structural aspects, such as its limited material 
capacities, reputational concerns, and lack of geographical contiguity 
?Unlike US, India does not have the ?nancial resources to support state building in Afghanistan 
•
India’s only pathway to achieve its security goals has been reliant on its developmental and humanitarian 
assistance to cultivate goodwill within the masses and the political community 
•
Key Areas of Focus 
?Humanitarian assistance 
?Major infrastructure projects 
?Small and community-based development 
?Education and capacity-building 
•
Afghanisation: Investing in capacity-building by putting Afghans in charge of the projects funded by India 
(from large-scale infrastructure programmes to the small-scale development and community-building 
initiatives) through unconditional ‘no-strings-attached’ direct pavements which distinguishes it from 
other international donors 
India’s Contribution to Afghanistan  
•India has built a sizeable developmental and considerable intelligence footprint in Afghanistan, spending 
more than $2 billion in aid and infrastructural development, and reopened consulates across the war-
torn country 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
•Training of Afghan police, army, and intelligence of?cers, as well as its consular presence, offered India 
insight into the ground realities of the Afghan war 
•
Direct Air Freight Corridor 
?The connectivity established through the Air Freight Corridor will provide Afghanistan, a 
landlocked country, greater access to markets in India and will allow Afghan businessmen to 
leverage India’s economic growth and trade networks for its bene?t 
?It will enable Afghan farmers quick and direct access to the Indian markets for their perishable 
produce 
•Chabahar Port 
?Located in the Sistan-Baluchistan province in Iran, it is an important infrastructure development 
project being currently undertaken by both India and Iran for enhancing sea-land connectivity with 
Afghanistan and Central Asian Region 
?A Trilateral Transit and Transport arrangement between India-Afghanistan-Iran is envisaged to 
create a reliable legal framework to ensure smooth ?ow of goods and vehicles between Chabahar 
port and Afghanistan through Iran 
?Wheat 
•
Road from Zaranj to Delaram  
?218 km road from Zaranj to Delaram for facilitating movement of goods and services to the Iranian 
border was completed in 2010 
?The highway will connect Iran with the Garland Highway which links Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar-e-
Sharif, Herat and Kunduz? ? www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
? •
India-Afghanistan: New Development Partnership 
?116 new ‘High Impact Community Development Projects’ in 31 provinces of Afghanistan, including 
in the areas of education, health, agriculture, irrigation, drinking water, renewable energy, ?ood 
control, micro-hydropower, sports infrastructure, administrative infrastructure 
?Construction of Shahtoot dam and drinking water project for Kabul, that would also facilitate 
irrigation 
?Along with the above it covers a host of other programmes including road connectivity, water 
supply, assistance in remote sensing technology and scholarships in education 
•In 2005, India proposed Afghanistan's membership in the South Asian Association for Regional 
Cooperation (SAARC). Both nations also developed strategic and military cooperation against Islamic 
militants 
?India is also pushing for Afghanistan’s membership of the SCO 
Why is Afghanistan important for India? 
•
It is strategically located as a bridge between South, Central and West Asia 
•The mineral wealth of Afghanistan has been estimated to be more than $3 trillion 
?It also has reservoirs of oil and natural gas 
•
Since Afghanistan has been made a haven for terrorists by Pakistan, it has become an issue of concern 
for India’s internal security 
•
It can be argued that Afghanistan is one of the few places in the world where Indian foreign policy has 
been able to gain signi?cant foothold and actually demonstrate New Delhi’s capacity to exert in?uence 
?Perceived existential threat to India from failing statehood in Afghanistan  
?New Delhi and Islamabad seem to have sparring over in?uence in Afghanistan ever since their 
independence 
?India does not have the same scruples about hurting Russian feelings as it has in the central asian 
countries 
Conferences for Afghan Peace 
•
Kabul Process 
?It is an Afghan government-led initiative wherein the principle purpose of the process is to ensure 
an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, inclusive peace process 
?Since its re-launch in 2017, it has been recognised as an overarching platform under which all other 
peace initiatives and efforts take place to support Afghanistan for genuine and lasting peace 
•
6+1 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
!
Page 5


 
India-Afghanistan 
•India remains an integral part of Afghanistan’s steady progress in institutionalising peace, pluralism and 
prosperity 
•
Afghanistan is also the largest recipient of international student scholarships offered by the Indian 
Council for Cultural Relations 
Trade 
•The bilateral trade between India and Afghanistan is USD 900 million and with opening of air corridor 
our target to take it to USD 2 billion by 2020  
•
Afghanistan has opened up its power, pharmaceutical, optical cable manufacturing and other sectors by 
allowing 100 per cent foreign direct investment where it is looking forward to signi?cant participation 
from Indian ?rms  
•Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
?The transit relation fo Afghanistan and Pakistan stem from the UN Conventions and General 
Agreement on T ariffs and Trade (GATT). As such, Pakistan had to provide transit facility to 
Afghanistan  Bilateral agreement, signed in 2010, allowing for movement of goods between the two 
countries  
?It superseded the 1965 Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement which granted Afghanistan the right 
to import duty-free goods through Pakistani seaports  
? It did not offer Pakistan reciprocal rights to export goods to the Soviet Union, nor the Central 
Asian Republics after the fall of the USSR 
?It was encouraged largely by the US, which professed that greater regional connectivity between 
South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle-East would help jumpstart Afghanistan’s economy  
?Primary grievance that Afghanistan has with the current APTTA is that is does not allow for bilateral 
trade with India  
? Afghan goods can unload at Wagah for Indian destination, but cannot take Indian goods back to 
Afghanistan 
India’s Afghan Policy 
•
Of?cially, India maintains support for an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led reconciliation process. New Delhi 
wants the Kabul government to be the key player in the talks with the T aliban 
•
India’s room for maneuver in Afghanistan is constrained by structural aspects, such as its limited material 
capacities, reputational concerns, and lack of geographical contiguity 
?Unlike US, India does not have the ?nancial resources to support state building in Afghanistan 
•
India’s only pathway to achieve its security goals has been reliant on its developmental and humanitarian 
assistance to cultivate goodwill within the masses and the political community 
•
Key Areas of Focus 
?Humanitarian assistance 
?Major infrastructure projects 
?Small and community-based development 
?Education and capacity-building 
•
Afghanisation: Investing in capacity-building by putting Afghans in charge of the projects funded by India 
(from large-scale infrastructure programmes to the small-scale development and community-building 
initiatives) through unconditional ‘no-strings-attached’ direct pavements which distinguishes it from 
other international donors 
India’s Contribution to Afghanistan  
•India has built a sizeable developmental and considerable intelligence footprint in Afghanistan, spending 
more than $2 billion in aid and infrastructural development, and reopened consulates across the war-
torn country 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
•Training of Afghan police, army, and intelligence of?cers, as well as its consular presence, offered India 
insight into the ground realities of the Afghan war 
•
Direct Air Freight Corridor 
?The connectivity established through the Air Freight Corridor will provide Afghanistan, a 
landlocked country, greater access to markets in India and will allow Afghan businessmen to 
leverage India’s economic growth and trade networks for its bene?t 
?It will enable Afghan farmers quick and direct access to the Indian markets for their perishable 
produce 
•Chabahar Port 
?Located in the Sistan-Baluchistan province in Iran, it is an important infrastructure development 
project being currently undertaken by both India and Iran for enhancing sea-land connectivity with 
Afghanistan and Central Asian Region 
?A Trilateral Transit and Transport arrangement between India-Afghanistan-Iran is envisaged to 
create a reliable legal framework to ensure smooth ?ow of goods and vehicles between Chabahar 
port and Afghanistan through Iran 
?Wheat 
•
Road from Zaranj to Delaram  
?218 km road from Zaranj to Delaram for facilitating movement of goods and services to the Iranian 
border was completed in 2010 
?The highway will connect Iran with the Garland Highway which links Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar-e-
Sharif, Herat and Kunduz? ? www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
? •
India-Afghanistan: New Development Partnership 
?116 new ‘High Impact Community Development Projects’ in 31 provinces of Afghanistan, including 
in the areas of education, health, agriculture, irrigation, drinking water, renewable energy, ?ood 
control, micro-hydropower, sports infrastructure, administrative infrastructure 
?Construction of Shahtoot dam and drinking water project for Kabul, that would also facilitate 
irrigation 
?Along with the above it covers a host of other programmes including road connectivity, water 
supply, assistance in remote sensing technology and scholarships in education 
•In 2005, India proposed Afghanistan's membership in the South Asian Association for Regional 
Cooperation (SAARC). Both nations also developed strategic and military cooperation against Islamic 
militants 
?India is also pushing for Afghanistan’s membership of the SCO 
Why is Afghanistan important for India? 
•
It is strategically located as a bridge between South, Central and West Asia 
•The mineral wealth of Afghanistan has been estimated to be more than $3 trillion 
?It also has reservoirs of oil and natural gas 
•
Since Afghanistan has been made a haven for terrorists by Pakistan, it has become an issue of concern 
for India’s internal security 
•
It can be argued that Afghanistan is one of the few places in the world where Indian foreign policy has 
been able to gain signi?cant foothold and actually demonstrate New Delhi’s capacity to exert in?uence 
?Perceived existential threat to India from failing statehood in Afghanistan  
?New Delhi and Islamabad seem to have sparring over in?uence in Afghanistan ever since their 
independence 
?India does not have the same scruples about hurting Russian feelings as it has in the central asian 
countries 
Conferences for Afghan Peace 
•
Kabul Process 
?It is an Afghan government-led initiative wherein the principle purpose of the process is to ensure 
an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, inclusive peace process 
?Since its re-launch in 2017, it has been recognised as an overarching platform under which all other 
peace initiatives and efforts take place to support Afghanistan for genuine and lasting peace 
•
6+1 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
! 
?Includes India, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, US and China in addition to Afghanistan  
•
Moscow Format 
?It sought to unite all sections of the society for arriving at a political solution to end years of 
terrorism 
?It aims to jointly search for ways to establish an inclusive inter-Afghan dialogue in order  
•Heart of Asia—Istanbul Process 
?It is a regional initiative of Afghanistan and the Republic of Turkey, which was launched in 2011 
?Process aims to promote regional security, economic and political cooperation centred on 
Afghanistan through dialogue and con?dence building measures (CBMs) 
Convergence 
•
Energy Sector: The energy basket stretching from Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea and Central Asia to 
Siberia and Russia’s Far East needs to be exploited for the bene?t of the surrounding region  
•
India is considered as non-threatening with its democratic traditions upheld as a model. The Afghans 
also appreciate that India had never interfered in their internal affairs 
•Speedy augmentation, training and supply of equipment for the Afghan National Security Forces is 
important to enable Afghanistan to protect its interests and maintain peace in the country. The Afghans 
want more help, for instance, at present for their air force. India could assist Afghanistan in training as 
per their requirement and supplying much-needed spare parts and such equipment as is possible 
without deployment of Indian troops in Afghanistan 
•Both see Pakistan-Sponsored T aliban as part of the problem and not a solution 
Challenges 
•
T aliban: The growing bonhomie between New Delhi and Kabul, coupled with the increased presence of 
India’s development projects in Afghanistan, remains the target of the T aliban-led insurgency, which 
includes a huge array of insurgent and anti-government forces operating in tandem beyond south and 
east Afghanistan, with increased symbolic and high-pro?le attacks around Kabul 
•New Delhi’s long-endorsed “no good terrorist, bad terrorist" line of thinking is, oddly, making it lose 
political traction in what could be some kind of compromise with the T aliban 
?While these attempts are not new, and in the past have been futile, with some analysts suggesting 
that the T aliban’s Qatar of?ce uses these talks only to scuttle them as strategy, lack of direct Indian 
representation is a glaring anomaly when seen against the backdrop of every other diplomatic and 
strategic milestone New Delhi has achieved with Kabul 
•
Pakistan is supporting the T aliban to underscore its quest for’ strategic depth’ and reinstate a pliant 
regime in Kabul 
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www.SleepyClasses.com 
!