India largest regional contributor to Afghan reconstruction: Congressional report

WASHINGTON: India, which has been the largest regional contributor to Afghan reconstruction, has not shown an inclination to pursue a deeper defence relationship with Kabul, a latest Congressional report has said.�India has been the largest regional contributor to Afghan reconstruction, but New Delhi has not shown an inclination to pursue a deeper defense relationship with Kabul,� the Congressional Research Service (CRS) has said in its latest report on Afghanistan.The CRS report, titled �Afghanistan: Background and US Policy In Brief�, came days ahead of President Donald Trump�s scheduled meetings with the prime ministers of India and Pakistan�Narendra Modi and Imran Khan.On the eve of the Trump-Modi meeting in New York, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had a meeting with the Special US Representative on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, on Monday.According to CRS, Trump has encouraged India to play a greater role in Afghanistan�s economic development.�This, along with other administrative messaging, has compounded Pakistani concerns over Indian activity in Afghanistan,� it said.CRS is an independent research wing of the US Congress, which prepares periodic reports on issues of interest for lawmakers to take informed decisions.�Pakistan�s security establishment, fearful of strategic encirclement by India, apparently continues to view the Afghan Taliban as a relatively friendly and reliably anti-India element in Afghanistan.�India�s diplomatic and commercial presence in Afghanistan�and US rhetorical support for it�exacerbates Pakistani fears of encirclement. Indian interest in Afghanistan stems largely from India�s broader regional rivalry with Pakistan, which impedes Indian efforts to establish stronger and more direct commercial and political relations with Central Asia,� it said. (agencies)