India, while acknowledging that the current situation in Afghanistan is “fragile” has said it is monitoring the developments in its neighbouring country closely as the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) prepares to withdraw from there by 2014.
Officials sources here said that the situation post-2014 will also depend on the transition process between now and the troop withdrawal. New Delhi is also keeping a keen eye on the proposed strategic partnership sgreement that the US and Afghanistan are expected to sign.
Negotiations are on between the US and Afghanistan for signing this pact that would enable special forces and advisers from the US to stay on in Afghanistan post-2014.
In terms of the political processes involving the trouble-torn country and Pakistan’s role, sources here said India will have to see whether Pakistan is more forthcoming in terms of arranging and facilitating meetings between the Opposition groups and the government.
India, on its part, has already stated on innumerable occasions that it supports a peace process which is Afghan-led and has the support of the Afghan people and government. In addition, India has also consistently maintained that the “red lines” enunciated by President Karzai at the London conference in 2010 and reiterated by him thereafter “must be respected and not diluted,” said sources..
In the post-2014 scenario, a lot will also depend on the capacity of the Afghan national security forces — the Afghan national Army and Afghan national police to carry out its duties as this is expected to have a direct impact on the security situation in Afghanistan, said sources.
With India and Afghanistan having inked a strategic partnership agreement during President Hamid Karzai’s October visit there are also indications that the partnership council envisaged under the pact will be in place soon.
However, as official sources here said, a lot is already happening under this agreement. Stating that the pact is a “very dynamic process” sources here said that a lot is being done to implement this agreement.