By M. Ashraf Haidari
Afghanistan is seeking to strengthen regional partnerships in a post NATO era.
Afghanistan-India relations go beyond the cordial relationship the two countries’ elected governments enjoy. Afghanistan and India have long interacted with each other either through trade and commerce, and through their many shared cultural values and commonalities. This is the foundation of a deep mutual trust. Recent public opinion polls in Afghanistan illustrate this fact, as well as the sentiment Afghans share about feeling at home while visiting or staying in India.
In the modern era, the governments of Afghanistan and India have capitalized on their mutual trust, based on centuries of common history and civilization. Regardless of the ideological leanings of the governments in power in either country, with the exception of the period of Taliban rule, Indo-Afghan relations have remained strong. In different regional and international forums, the two countries have stood by each other, believing that their shared interests create the conditions for a region free from war and violence, and one that that should progress and prosper.
Since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the government and people of India have supported the stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan. The country has to date disbursed $2 billion worth of effective assistance to Afghanistan. India’s aid has reached large parts of Afghanistan and improved the lives of many Afghans. Through major infrastructure projects, India has helped connect Afghanistan internally and with the region, facilitating cross-border transit, trade and investment. And through small rural development projects, India has addressed the problem of impoverished communities across Afghanistan, in line with the objectives of the Afghan government.
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