India’s emerging presence in reconstruction of war-torn Afghanistan has given some hope for Americans to exit safely from the situation created by them. This could be the one reason for Americans to come out with a report nailing Pakistan for using militants against Indian army, which in reality is no revelation. But the report vindicated India’s stand on Pak role in promoting terror activities. The political reality is that India and Pakistan will not be able to help improve relations in near future. As long as the Pakistani defence establishment has ties with militant groups, India-Pakistan relations can never be functional. It’s not only the governments, but there are also non-state actors… militant groups that want to harm India and many of them have ties with Pakistani Army and intelligence agencies. So long as Pakistani security establishment does not severe ties with those groups the Indo-Pak relation can ever be functional or be a successful one. On the other hand India has big hand in rebuilding Afghanistan. India’s approach towards Afghanistan has largely been to prevent Pakistan from dominating that country, something Islamabad views as a vital counterweight to India’s preponderance in South Asia. The two countries have been stuck in a classic security dilemma in so far as their Afghan policies are concerned, in that any measure by either side to increase its security is liable to trigger a reaction thus causing deterioration in the overall regional balance. Broadly speaking, New Delhi has pursued a “soft power” strategy towards Afghanistan, sticking to civilian rather than military matters. In consonance with the priorities laid down by the Karzai government, Indian assistance has focused on building human capital and physical infrastructure, improving security, and helping the agricultural and other important sectors of the country’s economy. The Indian Government is building roads, providing medical facilities, and helping with educational programmes in an effort to develop and enhance long-term Afghan capabilities to counter militant groups’ pressure. Unless and until the efforts from India are strengthened the prevailing scenario is going to remain in the region with dismal results.
