Gaurav Gupta
It has become amply clear that Afghanistan will now be ruled by Taliban under the indigenous Shariah Law version of this ‘terrorist’ group which had ruled this country between 1996 and 2001 making life of the common man literally equivalent to hell as there was no chance of mercy for those who were declared offenders and death penalty in front of public used to be common sight. As far as India is concerned there is dire need to tackle the issue with utmost care and highest degree of diplomacy as the country has a lot at stake which it cannot afford to lose. There is huge investment which the country has made in Afghanistan looking into its strategic importance in south Asia especially with regard to the close proximity of Pakistan with the Taliban which till recently was struggling to fight US led Nato forces in that country. The sudden toppling of the Afghan government and Taliban’s triumph threatened not just India’s diplomatic stakes in the entire Afghanistan comprising 34 provinces but also 20 years and $3 billion worth of Indian investment in over 400 projects including dams, roads, education, transmission lines, trade infrastructure, etc. The direct investment which the country has made in the Afghanistan cannot be left on the mercy of God as soon after taking over the reign of the country Taliban in connivance with Haqqani network has targeted several assets created by India including the Salma Dam, which is vital HEP capable of generating 42 Mega Watts and is also used for irrigating over 75000 hectares of land. This is also known as the Indo-Afghan Friendship Dam. Its protection and that of many other similar projects is a necessity for India and for this every possible step is to be taken by the government of India. It is pertinent to mention that the dam was built by India in Herat, and was commissioned by PM Narendra Modi in the year 2016. Besides there is another very vital project which has huge strategic value as far as India’s trade with Middle East countries is concerned. This project is Zaranj-Delaram highway built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The cost of building this over 200 Kms long highway near the Afghanistan-Iran border is estimated to be $150 million. The highway provides access to Iran’s key Chabahar port. This highway gives freedom to India from dependence on Pakistan’s surface as imports and exports can be carried out through shipments coming from Kandla port directly.
There is another big contribution of India in Afghanistan’s infra development and that is parliament building of that country which has an exclusive Atal Bihari Vajpayee Block at its centre signifying the long lasting friendship of India with that country. India has also reconstructed 19th century Stor Palace in Afghanistan in 2016. India has also helped Afghanistan in rebuilding power edifice including 220 KV DC-transmission line from Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province to the north of Kabul, for increasing power supply capacity. Making Telecommunication infrastructure robust was also one of the accomplishments of India in Afghanistan. There is an interesting fact with regard to Zaranj-Delaram highway as the Pakistan refused to allow permission to use its land surface for transportation of wheat to Afghanistan during peak of the Pandemic Corona, India took the Zaranj-Delaram highway route sidelining Pakistan and in a way showing true face to the rogue nation. Besides, Indira Gandhi Pediatrics hospital was also reconstructed and dedicated to the people of Afghanistan with added facility of Indian doctors’ consultation from time to time. Several healthcare centres were also constructed by India in that country as a goodwill gesture. This was not enough as a fleet of different kinds of vehicles were also supplied to Afghanistan comprising 400 buses, 105 utility vehicles, 285 army vehicles and ten Ambulances. An Indian consortium led by state-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has won the mining rights for three out of four iron ore blocks in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan raising the stakes to another level. As far as trade is concerned, many things used to come from Afghanistan like Walnuts, Cherry, apricot, watermelon, figs, etc while India was the exporter of cotton, coffee, footwear, pepper etc. The bilateral between Afghanistan and India in 2020-21 was $1.4 Billion and in 2019-20 it was $1.52 Billion. India’s export range was $826 million and imports $510 million in 2020-21. Though earlier also scores of Indians were targeted at Salma Dam and also one journalist from India was killed by the Taliban in a recent deadly conflict.
The Pakistan is supporting the Taliban and is looking for a chance to use it against India especially making Kashmir an alibi thus making it necessary for India to open up channels of talks with the Taliban as conservatism will not serve any purpose in this most important issue where huge investment and years of diplomatic ties are involved. As far as Taliban’s interference in Kashmir is concerned the Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat has already made it clear that the developments in Afghanistan were anticipated beforehand and the army has already put in place the contingency plan in case any spillover happens. It is advisable for India to invite envoys of the like-minded nations and hold talks with Taliban to ensure that Indian assets remain intact and also the strategic trade ties with that country resumes as soon as possible or else the prices of commodities which used to come from Afghanistan will touch new heights and make it difficult for Indians to relish the same.
In diplomacy there are no permanent friends or foes therefore looking into the interests of the country making warm relations with the present rulers of Afghanistan are in the best interest of the country. It is hard fact that Pakistan is desperate to use Taliban against India owing to its cordial relations with the ‘terror’ group but if the rogue nation will help Talibanis to enter India through Kashmir border, India will not sit idle but will give a befitting reply ensuring that no intruder should go back alive. As India believes in not attacking first therefore the priority of the country will remain to have good relations with Taliban ensuring safety of Indian nationals in Afghanistan and the assets which are there due to the sincere efforts of the country in the last over 20 years.
(The author is Secretary General CCI)
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