Karzai's visit to India from Tuesday
Afghanistan, India to strengthen ties on strategic partnership |
Afghanistan and India are set to further stregthen their strategic partnership and take stock of the situation in the region during the two day visit of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's visit to India from Tuesday. Mr.Karzai will hold comprehensive talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the fragile security situation in that country. The visit comes just days after the assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani, a former president who was heading the Afghan High Peace Council shepherding talks with the Taliban. An External Affairs Ministry said that is the second visit of Karzai this year. Dr.Singh is also hosting a dinner for the Afghanistan President, who is expected to brief the Prime Minister on his revised strategy for reconciliation with the Taliban in the backdrop of Rabbani's killing. Afghan officials say they have strong evidence that the assassination of Rabbani was organised by the Taliban leadership based in Quetta, Pakistan, with the help of ISI. Our correspondent reports that India has already pledged two billion US dollars for a series of development projects in Afghanistan, including infrastructure. The two countries are expected to ink a strategic pact to streamline the various assistance programmes of India and institutionalise bilateral security dialogue apart from signing some MoUs in the exploration of mineral resources during Karzai's two-day visit. |
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