Through a telephonic conversation, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani discussed the evolving security situation in the region and other areas of mutual and bilateral interest, according to the prime minister’s office.
Ghani thanked Modi for India’s timely supply of food and medical assistance to Afghanistan. Modi reiterated India’s commitment to the people of Afghanistan in their quest for a peaceful, prosperous and inclusive society, the Prime Minister’s Office said
During a phone call, the two also exchange Eid-ul-Adha greetings. Tahir Qadiry, Afghan charge d’ affaires in New Delhi, tweeted, “HE President @ashrafghani in a telephonic conversation with HE PM @narendramodi exchanged greetings on the joyous festival of #EidAlAdha & also discussed the evolving security situation in the region and other areas of bilateral interests,”
Tackling terrorism
Aghanistan government has released around 4,900 prisoners, according to various media reports. On Friday, Ghani was quoted as saying that he had “no authority” under the country’s constitution to release the remaining prisoners as they were involved in serious crimes. The Afghan president said he would soon call the consultative Loya Jirga, a traditional grand assembly of Afghan elders, to decide their fate.
According to the Afghan government, there has been no let up in the violence in Afghanistan since the US-Taliban deal was agreed upon. More than 3,500 Afghan troops were killed by armed fighters.
Indo-Afghan bilateral ties
India and Afghanistan have a strong relationship based on historical and cultural
links. India has played a significant role in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of
Afghanistan. We believe that democracy and development are the key instruments to
ensure that Afghanistan becomes a source of regional stability. Source: MEA website
According to verified data by the Ministry of External affairs, there have been frequent high level visits from both sides in 2011-12, including among others, External Affairs Minister (EAM) and National Security Adviser (NSA) in January and March 2011 respectively; Prime Minister in May 2011; Special Envoy to PM to Kabul in June 2011 for a meeting of the International Contact Group; Foreign Secretary in September 2011; Minister of Law & Justice Shri Salman Khurshid on September 24, 2011 after the demise of Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani, and again on June 14 for the Heart of Asia Conference in Kabul, and Minister for Steel Shri Beni Prasad Verma in April 2012.
Important exchanges and visits
President Hamid Karzai in February, 2011; Defence Minister Wardak in June, 2011; First Vice President Marshal Fahim in June 2011; a Parliamentary delegation led by Speaker of the lower house of the Afghan Parliament Mr Ibrahimi to India in July, 2011; a delegation from the High Peace Council headed by its Chairman, late Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani in July 2011; Afghan NSA Mr Rangin Dadfar Spanta in August, 2011; Afghan Minister of Mines Mr Shahrani for the TAPI meeting in September, 2011; Afghan Commerce Minister Mr. Anwar ul Ahady in October 2011 for the CII, SME summit, President Karzai in October 2011, Minister of Mines and Finance Minister in January 2012 for the CII Partnership Summit in Hyderabad and Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul at the first Partnership Council meeting on May 1, 2012.
Recent years
In 2012, Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Omar Zakhilwal, Minister of Mines, Mr. Wahidullah Shahrani, Minister of Mines and Mr. Asef Rahimi, Minister of Agriculture were in Delhi on for the Delhi Investment Summit on Afghanistan, which sought to provide a forum for potential investors from the region and beyond to meet and explore possible cross-country company partnerships on investments in and around Afghanistan in various sectors where Afghanistan holds the promise of significant potential, opportunity and need, as a means of bringing stability and development to Afghanistan through economic means in the challenging post-2014 phase.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, release, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Kabul on December 25, 2015. It was the Prime Minister’s first visit to Afghanistan. During the visit, Prime Minister Modi and Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani jointly inaugurated and dedicated the National Assembly building, to the Afghan people. An enduring symbol of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, the National Assembly building, was constructed under India-Afghanistan Development Cooperation
Regional cooperation
In regional cooperation, Afghanistan joined SAARC at the 14th SAARC Summit held in Delhi in April 2007, opening possibilities of Afghanistan becoming a trade, transportation and energy hub linking together the countries of the region from Central to South Asia. India has also encouraged Afghanistan’s efforts at capitalising on its unique geographical location at the heart of the Asian continent by supporting regional initiatives like the Istanbul process and RECCA that seek to assist in Afghanistan’s development through cooperation in a various sectors of the economy.