The President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, will visit India from December 12-15. During this three-day visit, he will meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, among other officials.
The two sides are expected to hold discussions on the Afghanistan-U.S. Bilateral Security Agreement; the deal that will determine the size and activities of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the NATO forces in 2014. Discussions on Afghanistan’s demands for military equipment are also expected to be on the agenda for the meeting.
President Karzai is also expected to visit the Symbiosis University in Pune.
India and Afghanistan share strong historical and cultural ties. New Delhi and Kabul signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement in 2011, which was aimed at deepening security and economic ties. Some of the Indian developmental projects in Afghanistan include the construction of the road from Zaranj to Delaram in Nimruz Province, the 220 kV electricity transmission line from Pul-e-Kumri to Kabul, capacity building program for about 2000 Afghans, and infrastructure programmes such as the reconstruction of Salma Dam in Herat Province and the construction of the new Parliament complex in Kabul. Afghanistan is also in talks with India and Russia over reviving a Soviet-era military hardware maintenance facility near Kabul.