Indian and Afghan hearts beat for each other
It was in the fitness of things that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kabul focused on the people-to-people ties that lie at the core of the India-Afghanistan bilateral. Mr Modi was in the Afghan capital on Friday to inaugurate the Afghan Parliament building constructed by India. The symbolism of this gesture needs little elaboration — at one level, it marks India's steadfast commitment to the future of Afghanistan as a stable, peaceful and democratic republic; at another level, it reflects on India's own position as a regional leader as well as the world's largest democracy. But most importantly, it is a potent modern-day manifestation of the civilisational ties between the two nations, powered by the enormous goodwill of the people. This reiteration is equally important for Afghanistan as it is for India. In both countries, youth, who have come of age amidst war and conflict in Afghanistan, form a large part of the population. So, while it is important to remember and cherish the civilisational past, it is equally important to make investments for the future. Every generation needs to form its own connections, its own tropes and totems. And so it is that, while Prime Minister Modi remembered the legendary Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan and how the first Indian Government-in-exile was formed in Kabul by Maharaja Mahendra Pratap and Maulana Barkatullah; referred to the beloved Pathan character of Hindi cinema, Zanjeer's Sher Khan and his unforgettable paean to life and friendship; and invoked Tagore's iconic Kabuliwala in the hope that there will soon be a time when Afghans can once again easily travel across borders and win Indian hearts, he also announced, for example, 500 scholarships for the children of Afghan soldiers who had died defending their country. This will be in addition to the 1,000 scholarships that India already offers to Afghan students every year and which play an important role in fostering people-to-people linkages. Similarly, cricket ties between India and Afghanistan are also growing — recently, the Afghan cricket team shifted base from Sharjah to Noida, where it will be practising for the 2016 World Cup, having recently qualified for the prestigious tournament. Prime Minister Modi also did well to congratulate the Afghan Under 19 team that recently beat Zimbabwe in its first home series.
Amid all the bonhomie, however, there was still no escaping the geo-political realities of the India-Afghan relationship. The Prime Minister's tongue-in-cheek mention of the “mysterious Indian consulates” in Afghanistan evoked much mirth but was also a reminder of Pakistani paranoia and policy-flaws that continue to hamper Afghanistan's development and hem in its ties with India. In fact, the staple fare about security and foreign-sponsored terrorism gained greater traction this time around, with the Taliban successfully re-consolidating its position and, once again, mounting vicious attacks even in the Afghan capital.