How far India factor is responsible for the present state of

Pakistan-Afghanistan relations? Analyze

Pakistan and Afghanistan are geo-politically and geo-strategically interlocked with each other and so the
growing Indian influence in Afghanistan is a matter of grave concern for Pakistan. The affairs in Afghanistan
directly affect Pakistan due to its location cultural, historical, linguistic, religious and traditional ties;
thus, Pakistans strategic strength lies in a strong and stable Afghanistan. The conflict scenario between
traditional rivals in South Asia, India and Pakistan are coming to front with a new dimension in Afghanistan.
Therefore, India is trying to achieve a significant soft role and make her presence justified there in order
to achieve her broader objectives via Afghanistan. Although, there will remain a sizeable US presence
in Afghanistan, but Indian presence is providing local socio-economic infrastructure and civil, military
and political services to promote peace and sanctuary in the war-torn country, which is a sources of
fear and anxiety for Pakistan.
Afghanistan has great geo-strategic importance; she is the gateway to Central Asia, Middle East, and South Asia.
Many nations tried to make their hegemony over Afghanistan. It is also called graveyard of empires due to her
natural resistance to any foreign invasion. In the current scenario, the circumstances unfurling in Afghanistan
and their implications gave a daunting challenge to internal, regional and international actors who have stake in
future and making efforts towards rebuilding the war-ravaged country. Accordingly, India emerged as one of
the main regional actors, who have broader objectives in rebuilding and developing Afghanistan. The steady
improvement in India and Afghanistan relations emerged since the collapse of the Taliban rule in post 9/11.
Afghanistan has always been focus of Indias regional policy because of its geo strategic location, its latent
hostility towards Pakistan and for economic reasons. India has several aims in Afghanistan; some of the Indian
objectives in Afghanistan are; to contain Taliban so as to neutralize Pakistans help to Kashmir Jihad. Secondly,
to support democratization and pro-India government in Afghanistan which will contain resurgence of Taliban
and other religious and extremist movements. Resurgence of Islamic independent movement and their success
have the potential to undermine the social fabric of India by providing a vent to oppressed minorities particularly
the Sikhs and Kashmiri Muslims. Thirdly, to achieve leading position in Afghanistan and Central Asian republics
by countering Pakistans sway in the region.
For this purpose India opened consulates near Pak-Afghan border i.e. Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-
Sharif. Diplomatic presence of India is larger than other countries in Afghanistan. Mostly consulates are opened
along FATA and Baluchistan border. Pakistan is uneasy over the Indian consulates, in addition to the embassy
in Kabul. Moreover, India sent 300 commandos to Kandahar to protect their citizens in post-Taliban set up which
was viewed by Pakistan with suspicions. Pakistans concern has been that, reconstruction workers from other
countries are also present in Afghanistan but it has not allowed commandos from other countries to protect them.
Pakistan believe that India through these consulates is involved in covert activities such as terrorism in FATA,
NWFP and in Baluchistan aiming at destabilizing Pakistan and it is building anti Pakistan scenario on
Afghanistans soil, which is aggravating bilateral relations and spoiling the environment of trust. Consulates
protect the commercial interests as well as protect and promote the interests of its citizens who are residing in
that area. Indubitably, India is involved in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, but its trading activities as well as
the presence of its citizens in the areas where the consulates are opened are minimum.
In addition, some Pakistani circle highlighted that under US patronage these consulates suppressed Pushtuns by
depriving them of their share of authority and were promoting the stakes of other minority groups such as
Hazaras, Panjshiri, Tajiks and Uzbeks. This particular behavior could be gauged by officers posts in all the
security services, particularly army and training for governmental posts. Minority groups especially Panjshiri
Tajiks were preferred over Pushtuns and were given economic opportunities.
Moreover, in order to contain Taliban and Pakistans sway in Afghanistan, India built up the defense mechanism
of the Northern Alliance by giving them high-altitude combatant equipment worth of $ 10 million via its
Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) as well as provided technical guidance to the Northern Alliance. Pakistan
believes that some local and foreign elements inside Afghanistan are vigorously involved in backing the
miscreants in Baluchistan and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province.
In this regard, Pakistan provided evidence of Brahimdagh Bugti (son of Akbar Bugti) staying in Afghan
intelligence house in Kabul, Photographs of his visit to Delhi and some instructions which showed his links with
insurgency in Baluchistan (The News International, 2008). Most of the people in Baluchistan are distressed over
the induction of non-Baluchis in the developmental projects. They are also aggrieved over the unjust division of
royalties produced from the natural resources in their province. India is exploiting the already fragile situation
as it has interest in Baluchistan which is important future gas pipeline route, full of natural resources.
New Delhi is equally part of the paradigm in Afghanistan because of its development contribution and security
assistance. Islamabad often claims that the Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies jointly support the Baloch
separate movement. Thus, considering the sensitive security environment in Afghanistan and the region, the
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis speech during the Indian independence day, highlighted Pakistans
atrocities and oppression in Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, while refusing to acknowledge parallel
atrocities and human right violations in India-administered Kashmir. This will further aggravate security
challenges in Afghanistan as Islamabad will remain vigilant and suspicious of Indias active presence across the
porous and insecure border.
Baluchistan is Pakistans strategic heartland making Pakistan one of the most strategically important and
sensitive place in the world. Baluchistan is Pakistan solitaire diamond making it central to the heartland i.e.
Central Asia and is part of Rimland i.e. Arabian Sea coastline. With Gwader and other ports of Baluchistan as
part of Rimland, the southern strategic route to Central Asia originates from Baluchistan making it critical for
India. By fomenting trouble and unrest in Baluchistan, the Indians are attempting to delink Pakistan, China and
Gwader from Central Asia containing Pakistans strategic and economic potential because the future of Pakistan
upcoming generations is in Baluchistan. (Khalil-ur-Rehman, 2013). Pakistan accuses India and Afghanistan for
backing the Baluch National Army (BLA); whose aim is to attract world attention for their separations
movement. Brahamdagh Bugti, the son of former BLA leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, is accused several times of
recruiting militants in training camps in Afghanistan.
In the situation of large public suicide bombings in Baluchistan, KPK and other parts of the country, that causes
large number of civilian casualties, one section of Pakistani population believes Indo-US-Israeli hand in
sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan. They hold that the launching pad for carrying out such activities is Afghanistan
and the aim is to weaken Pakistani compliance to exploit the minerals, metals gas and strategic wealth of
Baluchistan thus to undermine it economically and politically; roll back its nuclear program and to deprive it
from its nuclear asset.
Moreover, another important objective of India in Afghanistan is to tap Central Asian energy resources and to
develop Afghanistan as a land bridge between Central Asia and India. Indian economy is growing by leaps and
bounds with which comes growing energy demands. CARs oil and gas resources make it extremely important
for India to forge a relationship with Afghanistan based on cooperation. In this regard, India is investing in
constructing roads and infrastructure linking Afghanistan with Central Asian States. India proposed Salma Dam
project in Herat province on river Hirarud along with constructing Dams on Kabul and Kunar River in northern
Afghanistan which Pakistan believe is to deprive Pakistan of water resources. Pakistan believes that proposed
dam will have serious implications for its water supply as it flows through Kabul River into the Indus at Attock.
In addition, Indian oil companies are active in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In March 2007, India completed the
renovation of a military base at Ayani in Tajikistan: the renewal commenced in 2002 and completed at a cost of
US$10 million. India is the fourth country after US, Germany, Russia to have a base at Central Asia, According
to Indian journalist Suda Ramachandaran, maintaining a base at Ayani will let India respond quickly to any
danger arising from unstable Afghanistan. It gives India important facility to insert Special Forces when situation
demand on the occasion of military conflict with Pakistan. It will increase Indias ability to hit Pakistan from
Tajikistan and will help Indias mounting interests in Central Asia. According to Indian intelligence sources,
India after the fall of Taliban decided to maintain influence in Afghanistan and to counter Pakistans interference
in Afghanistan. For this reason it renovated a base at Ayani/Farkhor.
Pakistan doesnt allow its soil to be used by India for transportation of goods to Afghanistan. Therefore,
maintaining a base at Ayani will help India to air lift necessary relief items from Ayani to Farkhor and then to
Afghanistan. Apart from Pakistans dimension attached to Ayani bases it will also help India to increase its
influence in Central Asia. Many analysts believe that Indias role in Afghanistan through reconstruction projects
and diplomacy is a source of anxiety for Pakistan. Because it could lead to a strategic encirclement of Pakistan.
Indian presence is a source of worry for Pakistans geo-strategic and geo political reasons and can hamper efforts
against terrorism. There are chances that India presence deteriorates regional tensions as Pakistan will not allow
Indian strategic encirclement and can resort to counter measures.
Unfortunately, Afghanistan has been a victim of regional and extra-regional interference since past centuries.
Regardless of the existence of international coalition forces and the pledges of neighboring countries to support
its autonomy, territorial integrity, and sovereignty, the country is still prone to intervention by its neighbors. This
could destabilize Afghanistans future peace and stability.
India and Pakistan have turned Afghanistan into a center stage for settling their past scores and for enhancing
regional standing in the post-Taliban set up.
Recently Afghan President Ashraf Ghani turned down their invitation to visit Pakistan, bluntly telling the
Pakistanis that he would not come until Pakistan arrested and turned over the perpetrators of several high-profile
attacks, including a bombing and an armed assault on an elite university in Kabul last August, which Afghanistan
blamed on Taliban militants based in Pakistan.
Hundreds of miles north, near the other major crossing, at Torkham, both governments have recently traded
attacks and accusations of harboring cross-border terrorists. In February, after a series of deadly terrorist
bombings across Pakistan, the Islamabad government charged that the assailants had been based on the Afghan
side. Pakistan shelled the area for days and shut the border down. It also accused its rival India of collaborating
with Afghan intelligence forces in the area.
The atmosphere is especially tense along the conflicted, 1,400-mile border, where both countries have accused
each other of staging attacks. Chaman, one of the two main border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan,
was closed once again in the wake of the recent incident, with firing ongoing, Pakistani military spokesman Asif
Ghafoor said in a statement.
"Since April 30 2017, Afghan Border Police had been creating hurdles in conduct of census in divided villages
of Killi Luqman and Killi Jahangir in Chaman area, on Pakistani side of the border," the statement said..
Afghanistan's foreign ministry said it had warned Pakistan against conducting the census in the villages in the
border area, which remains disputed between the two countries. Ahmad Shekib Mostaghni, spokesman for the
Afghan foreign ministry, said "This area of dispute the imaginary Durand line is not clear and according to the
government of Afghanistan the villages (where the clashes happened) are located on the Afghan side of the
border. Pakistan claims that these villages are on their side of the Durand line. Pakistan shelled the area for
days and shut the border down. It also accused its rival India of collaborating with Afghan intelligence forces in
the area.
The Pak-Afghan mutual mistrust has deepened with the Indian presence in Afghanistan. India is viewing
Afghanistan as a lucrative and productive investment country as well as an extended neighborhood. This raises
Pakistans angst and prevents Pak-Afghanistan harmonious relations. Actions by one country to exert influence
in Afghanistan would cause a corresponding counter reaction by the other neighbor that may complicate the
Afghan imbroglio, especially when the US withdrawal is imminent.
The Indian reconstruction activities, educational-cultural contribution to Afghan society, training and weaponry
to the Northern Alliance, clandestine activities of consulates and marginalizing Pushtuns have exacerbated
mistrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Despite some efforts in dtente in India-Pakistan relations in the
wake of series of confidence building measures, the Indian activities in Afghanistan pose a threat to Pakistan
strategic depth policy, its reliance on non-state actors bear the potential to render Afghanistan again into a
proxy battlefield.
India has gained a foothold and endeared to the Afghan people through the quantum and nature of investment
policies which have surpassed that of Pakistan. Needless to say that Indian investment and social security
initiatives are not born out of mere generosity but on realpolitik considerations to become an established
regional power and make further inroads into Central Asia. Hence, Pakistan needs to prepare a robust counter-
strategy based on enhancing its economic interests for national objectives. Further, destabilizing Afghan state is
neither in the interest of Pakistan nor that of India -- as both will not remain immune to spillover effect of
political turbulence. It is high time that both need to revisit their foreign policy objectives and reconcile their
long standing differences in Afghanistan. An appropriate way could be by inking agreements on regional
connectivity amongst Pakistan-Afghanistan and India. These will prove to be a harbinger of regional synergy
and shall be in tune with regional collaboration policies adopted by many countries in this age of globalization.