Alwaght- India and Afghanistan are not neighbors but their relations are as warm as two neighboring countries. These days what is outstanding in news about ties between New Delhi and Kabul is the military aid of India to Afghanistan.
This is not the first time that India is providing Afghanistan with military support. The Indian leaders are said to have supplied Afghanistan with over $2 billion in aids during the past 15 years. In 2015, New Delhi delivered for the first time three Russian-made MI-25 military helicopters to the government of Ashraf Ghani. The fourth one is planned to be given to Afghanistan in the forthcoming weeks as the Afghan Chief of Army Staff General Qadeem Shah Shaheem is scheduled to visit India soon. But what makes the current aids of India to Afghanistan different is their coincidence with the tensions between India and Pakistan during the past two months. In fact, in first view the military supports of New Delhi to Kabul are majorly driven by the tensions that both India and Afghanistan are experiencing in their ties with Pakistan. However, the tensions with Pakistan is not the only reason for close relations between Kabul and New Delhi. So, four grounds must be taken as strengthening the growing Indian-Afghan relations:
- As it was noted, the first and perhaps the most important reason that persuaded the Indian leaders to provide further military aids to Afghanistan is the deep and tense differences that both India and Afghanistan are facing in their relations with Pakistan. By aiding Afghanistan, India sends a message to its old-time rival Pakistan that it not only can secure presence on the borders of contested Kashmir by delivering military help to Afghanistan but also it can think about presence on the northern borders of Pakistan. This is a kind of strategic proxy operation that is dubbed "second-degree encirclement" according to the rhetoric of the international relations. On the other hand, if growing closeness of India to Afghanistan is followed by New Delhi in relations with Iran as a neighbor of Pakistan, then the aimed encirclement of India would be completed. On the side, the military strengthening of the Afghan government is said to run counter to Islamabad's goals. Pakistan has always sought weakening the governments in Afghanistan and empowering the anti-government pressure groups including Taliban militant group.
- Another drive for India to get a toehold in Afghanistan is New Delhi's interest for getting engaged in big regional plays. As a member of the G20, or the bloc of 20 industrial countries, India sees it as necessary for itself to take a key role in the region. Afghanistan is a favorable playground for Indian regional playing. Afghanistan is also a gate for India's entry to the Central Asia. India faces limits entering to Central Asia due to existence of its traditional rivals of China and Pakistan on the northern and eastern borders. Afghanistan removes this big restriction for the Indian leaders as New Delhi is allowed access to Chabahar Port in southeastern Iran.
- The presence of India in Afghanistan, on the other hand, is seen as one of the least challenged and least costly foreign policy moves by New Delhi. Although Pakistan may develop deep concerns about the Indian presence in Afghanistan, it doesn't appear that the worries pose a challenge to India due to conditions of Pakistan compared to India. Furthermore, other players like Iran and the US are not interested to show any sensitivity to Indian growth of relations with Afghanistan due to the Indian intermediary role in the regional developments. Washington sees New Delhi as its trustable partner. Iran sees the Indian presence as carrying the potentials to strengthen the Afghan government and at the same time Tehran sees India as an influential partner for tripartite economic cooperation through Iran's Chabahar Port. Additionally, Afghanistan’s political elites find Indian presence as acceptable as a balance making factor in Kabul's foreign policy in relation with the West. Actually, they find India as a country that can help them reduce military reliance to the NATO and the West.
- Expanding the cooperation from security and military to other sectors including economy is one of other Indian objectives behind getting closer to Afghanistan. Essentially, in the international community broadening what is called the range of cooperation is an acceptable issue. Although now the major focus is on military and security issues in the Indian-Afghan relations, increasing the partnership in these ranges can result in expanded cooperation in the economic matters. Economic collaboration can open a very good 29 million people market of Afghanistan to India as New Delhi needs a consumption market for its growing production. Afghanistan can meet this Indian need.
The mentioned factors can present New Delhi with good motivation to boost relations with Kabul particularly in military and security sectors. Following increase in military cooperation the close relations can be broadened to include security and economic sectors. This, in turn, can improve the position of India from a country close to Afghanistan to a strategic and trusted partner for Kabul.
