FE Editorial : The Afghan question

Mon, Oct 12 03:13 AM

That the Indian embassy in Kabul was a target of attack for the second time in two years is a direct result of our deep involvement in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, a project which the insurgent Taliban and other extremist groups would like to thwart at all costs. India has already committed more than $1 billion in aid to Afghanistan, which is more than it gives in aid to any other single country. The Indian government, private companies and engineers and workers from India are involved in building a number of key infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. India has played a prominent role in the construction of roads and highways and in the construction of power transmission lines. Indian aid is assisting in the construction of a major dam, and a number of health centres have been set up across the country funded by the Indian government. India also set up the agriculture university in Kabul, a key institution for a country that depends heavily on agriculture. All this work has continued in earnest despite last year's suicide attack on the Indian embassy, which killed a number of people, including a military attaché and a senior Indian Foreign Service officer.

Now, after this second attack too, we have little choice but to continue our deep engagement with Afghanistan. Any slowing down of the reconstruction effort is bad for an Afghanistan which is battling an increasingly sophisticated insurgency. Any withdrawal of support from key allies like India will also weaken the ability of the fragile centre in Afghanistan to hold off extremists. It is India's interest to help the moderates stay in power and in fact extend their power and goodwill throughout the country. Of course, security for our personnel on the ground is critically important as is security for the infrastructure we are investing in and building. The question is whether at some point the government should think about deploying boots on the ground in Afghanistan at least to the extent necessary to safeguard our own security interests. A small group of ITBP personnel posted at the Indian embassy in Kabul and at consulates elsewhere may be insufficient in meeting the serious security challenge that is being thrown at India. Beefing up the presence of our security forces in Afghanistan will instill the necessary confidence in our own people as well as the Afghans who support our intervention as they strive to keep forces of extremism away. But it will also make the mad lot who create mayhem a lot madder. So, this is a tough call. But one that India may not be able to escape.

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