01 May 2015

Editorial: With Trade and Terrorism in Mind, Ghani Visits India

By Jack Detsch

On his first state visit to India, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani pushed for closer trade and defense ties.

As Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is in India for a two-day visit this week, centered on strengthening trade ties and partnering to fight terrorism, he again waded into the fray of South Asia’s fractious politics. With Afghanistan still courting China and Pakistan, boosting its relationship with Delhi could prove complicated.

India and Afghanistan have enjoyed close ties since the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) kicked out the Taliban government in 2001. Ghani’s predecessor, Hamid Karzai, proved a close friend of the Indians, and they treated him in kind: Afghanistan received $2.2 billion in Indian military and monetary aid over the course of his 13 years in office.

But Karzai is gone now, and the United States, despite its decision to keep troops in Afghanistan through the end of the year, has one foot out the door. Ghani faces a trying prospect: playing the middle ground between China, India, and Pakistan. That has meant turning down a heavy arms order from Delhi left on the books from Karzai’s time in office, sending six elite troops to train in at the Pakistani Military Academy in Abbottabad, and accepting China taking a leading role in peace talks with the Taliban.

Read the full story at The Diplomat