PM Modi, Ghani discuss security in Afghanistan

Against the backdrop of reports of ISIS planning attacks and renewed militant activity in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in the Russian city of Ufa, and discussed the security situation in the country. During their talks, Mr Modi assured the Afghan leader of India’s unstinting assistance in its reconstruction efforts.

The meeting, which was held shortly after Mr Modi’s talks with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, focused on cooperation in bolstering the security situation in the country in view of fresh reports about the brutal ISIS planning terror attacks in that country. They also discussed the escalation in terror attacks byTaliban militants in Afghanistan. In one of the most recent such incidents, a suicide bomber, along with six other Taliban militants had attacked Afghan’s parliament, killing a woman and a child, and wounding dozens.

The prime minister also reviewed India’s multifarious assistance to the war-torn country, which is primarily focused on humanitarian and social areas.

The Indian government has pledged over $2 billion in infrastructure and a host of other developmental projects that have generated enormous goodwill for India.

The meeting between Mr Modi and Mr Ghani was their second in the last three months. The Afghan president had visited India in April this year, an important visit during which the two sides decided to scale up their security and development partnership.

“The relationship between India and Afghanistan is not just between two countries or governments. It is a timeless link of human hearts. Fourteen years ago, we started a new chapter in our relationship, in a new era for Afghanistan, under the leadership of President Karzai. The partnership has blossomed despite barriers of geography and hurdles of politics,” Mr Modi had said at a joint interaction with the Afghan leader.

Author Profile

India Writes Network: India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) is an emerging think tank and a media-publishing company focused on international affairs & the India Story. Centre for Global India Insights is the research arm of India Writes Network. To subscribe to India and the World, write to editor@indiawrites.org. A venture of TGII Media Private Limited, a leading media, publishing and consultancy company, IWN has carved a niche for balanced and exhaustive reporting and analysis of international affairs. Eminent personalities, politicians, diplomats, authors, strategy gurus and news-makers have contributed to India Writes Network, as also “India and the World,” a magazine focused on global affairs.