India and Pakistan ramp up aid as they jostle for influence in Kabul (Reuters) - Indias most important message for Afghanistan is that it is not leaving, and it is backing that message with the biggest aid package it has ever given another country. Indian diplomats insist the message is meant as reassurance for allies in Afghanistannervous about waning international support as NATO withdraws its troops. Yet it could equally have been chosen to send a warning to Indias arch-rival, Pakistan. The nuclear-armed neighbors both want to secure influence in Kabul after foreign combat forces leave this year, and both are using aid as part of their strategy. Indias $2 billion aid package includes several big projects, including a white marble parliament in Kabul that is rising up next to the blasted ruins of the old kings palace. Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are rockier. Afghan President Hamid Karzai regularly accuses Pakistan of supporting Taliban militants, and has curtly made clear he cares more about security than Pakistani aid. Some Afghans fear that the regional rivalry might drag their country into a proxy war. Read more: drshabirchoudhry.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/india-and-pakistan-ramp-up-aid-as-they.html
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 20:46:02 +0000
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