Afghan NSA wants Delhi to take on a larger role

Afghanistan Government wants to tread carefully in tapping the newly found mineral resources. While there is a serious pressure from a number of countries, China and the US including, to prospect the mineral wealth, there is an element of reluctance on the part of Karzai government to yield to the pressures. This is primarily in view of negative fall-out of such exploration activity witnessed in other countries particularly in Africa.

Afghanistan’s National Security Advisor Ranjin Daftar Spanta ended his 2-day talks with Indian leaders on August 31 with a request that Delhi take larger role in the stabilisation of his country.  What type of assistance Kabul is looking for?

‘We want India’s deep involvement in sustainable infrastructure development, and health care facilities’, Spanta said during a media interaction. There is no proposal to seek Indian assistance for training Afghan army or police. Karzai government wants the old friend to lend help in areas which are fundamental to the growth of Afghanistan. Fine. In other words, Islamabad should have no reason to become hypersensitive at India’s role beyond the Durand Line.

Indian assistance to Afghanistan, US military strategies, Pakistani support to Taliban and Islamabad’s mediatory efforts between Karzai Govt. and Taliban elements are amongst the talking points in his discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minster SM Krishna, besides his Indian counterpart Shiv Shankar Menon.  Another visitor from Kabul was the foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul, who came in the last week of August. His discussions also covered a wide range of bilateral and regional issues.

Spanta has recalled India’s assistance to his country in getting membership of the SAARC. Now his country wants Indian help to developing cooperative linkages at regional and global level.  He is very categorical about his government’s resolve to develop a regional front against the return of Taliban and Pakistan’s continued support to it.  He said Pakistan may be offered “all the necessary security assurances” in return for a more cooperative approach to regional security.  In the absence of such `paradigm change’ in Pakistani outlook, the Afghan NSA called for international partners to “demonstrate the political resolve” to stand up to the challenge from the Taliban and its foreign supporters.

Afghanistan Government wants to tread carefully in tapping the newly found mineral resources. While there is a serious pressure from a number of countries, China and the US including, to prospect the mineral wealth, there is an element of reluctance on the part of Karzai government to yield to the pressures. This is primarily in view of negative fall-out of such exploration activity witnessed in other countries particularly in Africa. 

In the rush for exploitation of Africa’s mineral resources, European countries had colonised the continent in the 19th century. These days China is grabbing mining rights through dubious means like bribing or blackmailing of some dictators and senior military officials. While the Afghan Government had shown an undue secrecy and indeed haste in awarding a copper mine project to China. Now Spanta’s word is that it was a thing of the past and in future there would be a transparent and open bidding as per international norms.

How far Kabul will honour its promise time will tell. Anyhow there is no denying that any mineral exploration and exploitation must ultimately in the interests of Afghanistan.

On its part, India has serious concerns as the US and its allies appear to have made a decision to withdraw their forces, even if it is slightly delayed beyond the July 2011 deadline.  The withdrawal of forces from Iraq on August 31, as promised by President Obama, gives credence to the Afghan pull out plans. Iraq and Afghanistan are neither identical nor similar in their security thrust.  Unlike in Iraq, here in Afghanistan, the government’s writ doesn’t cover the entire country. In fact it extends only to a few provinces outside Kabul. 

Despite `surge’ in American forces, the Taliban has been expanding from south and eastern Afghanistan to the northern provinces.  Both the Taliban -al Qaeda and Pakistan are in no hurry; they are patiently waiting for the day that Americans start pulling out.  There is no doubt, in their assessment, about American withdrawal and are willing to factor in some delays. Although the new American Commander Gen Petraeus has assured that they will stay longer as required by the situation, uncertainties remain in plenty, as Afghanistan is different from Iraq or South Korea. 

There are reports that India is preparing to re-organise a regional collaboration with other countries like Iran and Russia to re-activate the `northern alliance’ of forces, but these have been denied. Situation has since changed and such a prospect is not on the cards. India, therefore, has to work closely with the US and make them to see the reasoning that Pakistan cannot be depended upon its assurances of severing links with the Taliban or helping to put together a workable ruling alliance with the participation of the “good” Taliban. 

Gen. Petraeus’s new strategies need to be given time to fructify and win over the local population to challenge the Taliban.  Unlike Iraq’s, Afghanistan situation calls for long drawn battle to win over the hearts and minds of the people and call the bluff of the foreign “supporters” of the Taliban and other terrorist groups.