Prime Minister Narendra Modi will convey to American President Donald Trump early next week India's concerns over the peace-deal the United States will sign with Taliban in Afghanistan on February 29 next.
Jittery over the possibility of the deal paving the way for Pakistan to gain a “strategic depth” in Afghanistan, New Delhi is likely to seek more details about it from Trump Administration when Prime Minister would host the United States President early next week.
Trump is arriving in Ahmedabad on Monday for a two-day visit to India. He and PM Modi will address a rally at a stadium in Ahmedabad.
Prime Minister Modi and US President will lead the respective delegations in the formal talks, which will be held in New Delhi on Tuesday.
New Delhi will use the meetings to once again convey to the Trump Administration its apprehensions that a hasty withdrawal by the US from Afghanistan might result in Pakistan gaining a strategic edge in the region, sources told the DH.
Modi is likely to warn Trump about the possibility of Pakistan continuing to sponsor terrorism in Afghanistan, even after a peace-deal is signed with Taliban.
New Delhi on Thursday congratulated Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on his re-election and reaffirmed commitment to “India-Afghanistan bilateral strategic partnership in fighting the scourge of externally sponsored terrorism and for an enduring and inclusive national peace and reconciliation which is Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled.”
Trump is visiting New Delhi just days before his administration in Washington D.C. is likely to sign an agreement with Taliban in Afghanistan. The deal will set the stage for withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from Afghanistan – almost two decades after an US-led offensive dislodged the radical militants from power in the conflict-ravaged country.
Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, on Friday said that the Taliban had agreed to scale down violent offensives in Afghanistan over the next seven days beginning Saturday and if it kept its words, the American government would clinch an agreement with it on February 29. The Taliban also issued a similar statement, underlining that the proposed deal would lay the ground for peace after withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan.
India, over the past few years, has contributed over $3 billion to support reconstruction of infrastructure in Afghanistan. It, however, refrained from sending troops to Afghanistan and kept its military support to the conflict-hit country limited to providing training to officials and soldiers of Afghan National Army and supply of non-lethal defence hardware. It was in December 2015 that India started providing MI-25 helicopters to give some teeth to the Afghan Air Force.
New Delhi, however, has been concerned over the US-led peace-process in Afghanistan as it is likely to lead to integration of Taliban into the governance structure in the conflict-torn South Asian nation. India has been worried about the possibility of Taliban re-imposing the strict Sharia Law in Afghanistan, apart from providing support to terrorist organizations, which carry out attacks in India from bases in Pakistan.
Pakistan has since long been jittery about India's role in reconstruction of conflict-torn Afghanistan. The terror outfits based in Pakistan carried out several attacks on India's embassy and consulates in Afghanistan in the past. Indian citizens working in development projects in Afghanistan were also targeted by the terrorists.