India wants to deny Pakistan strategic depth in Afghanistan

[Paan Singh]

According to a report released by US congress, India is looking to prevent Afghanistan to become a strategic depth for Pakistan and in the meantime is not keen to have a major security role in Afghanistan to inflame the Islamabad’s sentiments, The Economic Times reported.
The report by prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) also termed Kabul’s handling of its two crucial neighbours a ‘delicate balancing act’.
In a bid to help the congressmen make informed decisions Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides periodic report.
According to the report New Delhi is wary of the reconciliation efforts with the Taliban and the report also details India’s activities which are inverse of Pakistan.
CRS Afghan report said, “The interests and activities of India in Afghanistan are the inverse of those of Pakistan: India’s goals are to deny Pakistan ‘strategic depth’ in Afghanistan, to deny Pakistan the ability to block India from trade and other connections to Central Asia and beyond, and to prevent militants in Afghanistan from attacking Indian targets in Afghanistan.”
The report further added India in the recent past has stepped up contact with Northern Alliance, which it supported in the past. This comes as India is wary the recent reconciliation efforts with the Taliban, which will give Pakistan more influence in Afghanistan.
“India saw the Afghan Taliban’s hosting of al Qaeda during 1996-2001 as a major threat to India itself because of al Qaeda’s association with radical Islamic organisations in Pakistan, such as LeT….,” the report said.
In the meantime the report says United States is backing the delicate balancing by Afghanistan after soughting close ties to India without alarming Pakistan.
The report also added Hamid Karzai visited Delhi to sign the “strategic partnership” pact with India following recriminations against Pakistan shortly after former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani was assassinated last year.
According to CRS report the pact between Afghanistan and Pakistan affirmed Pakistan’s worst fears because it gave India, for the first time, a formal role as one of the guarantors of Afghan stability, and provided for expanded India-Afghanistan political and cultural ties.

India wants to deny Pakistan strategic depth in Afghanistan - Khaama Press (KP) | Afghan Online Newspaper

 

[Secur]

Pakistan doesn't want Strategic Depth in the first place ... Islamabad developed nuclear weapon for that very purpose to compensate for its geographic disadvantage and who wouldn't say it has been successful , preventing three wars at the last count ... But sadly , it wont at the same time allow any unfriendly Govt to sit in Kabul and owing to our previous experience and influence in that country , the odds are better for Pakistan ...

 

[asad71]

1. Whenever there was an Indo-Pak conflict, the tribal Lashkars descended down the Hindukusk like their ancestors to fight the Hindus. This is something natural and cannot be prevented by any Indo-US project.

2. Having said that I must add that the Indus valley civilization truly belongs to SA. Pakistan will have cultural and defense depths into the W Asia and C Asia, but she will always belong to SA.

 

[Kaniska]

I think the statergic depth concept is dead the moment both of the nation went for the nuclear arsenal....The world will never see an India and Pakistan in near future....The reason is pretty simple...The growing educated and aspiring middle class from both the nation will force both the GOV to provide economic security to its citizen rather than just fighting with each other....So in this context, Afganistan is relevant for India as long as Pakistan stop India to provide transit route to Central Asia....The moment India and Pakistan will at least allign with each other to provide transit to each other...then Iran and Afghanistan will be less relevant for India in geo politics perspective...

 

[Kompromat]

I think the statergic depth concept is dead the moment both of the nation went for the nuclear arsenal....The world will never see an India and Pakistan in near future....The reason is pretty simple...The growing educated and aspiring middle class from both the nation will force both the GOV to provide economic security to its citizen rather than just fighting with each other....So in this context, Afganistan is relevant for India as long as Pakistan stop India to provide transit route to Central Asia....The moment India and Pakistan will at least allign with each other to provide transit to each other...then Iran and Afghanistan will be less relevant for India in geo politics perspective...

I, Think you are totally ignorant of the history that fabricates the society that lives in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Strategic depth can have a different name, there are natural,mutual interests between AFPAK which cannot be discounted. India, is playing spoil game in our backyard, time will see the Indians get defeated once more.

 

[notsuperstitious]

The real moral question is, do Afghanis want to be used as Pakistan's strategic depth? Thanks to the British, Pakistan is today in possession of lands historically Afghani, we have posters here suggesting Pakistan should accede parts of Afghanistan. Pakistan has sought to control Afghanistan politically through Taliban.

So is it in anyone else's interest for Pakistan to run Afghanistan, when Pakistan is obviously incapable of running Pakistan?

 

[Icarus]

Strategic Depth is an outdated concept, I can only wonder why it continues to haunt India's greatest strategists and tacticians. The "Strategic Depth" was a priority only when a conventional war was the order of the day, however war today has become a much more multi-faceted affair with the concept of "Conventional War" now totally obsolete. There's a lot more involved now, economics, human resources, opinion moulding will decide a modern war.

 

[BATMAN]

I thought Indian arms buildup and stretigies are only to counter China!
Apparently not!

 

[IND151]

I thought Indian arms buildup and stretigies are only to counter China!
Apparently not!

Our increased military build up in NE doesn't mean that we have not kept Pak in mind while planning.

As far as my limited understanding suggests,the strategy of Indian Planners regarding military buildup is Remaining enough strong on eastern border while retaining superiority on western border.

India will continue to explore options to deny Pakistan too much influence in Afghanistan, like it had in whole 1990s.

India may resort to the policy of keeping good relations with Post-2014 Afghanistan Govt. consisted of "Good"Taliban, to ensure that situation of Taliban being used as powerful tool against India by Pakistan not coming again.

 

[Spring Onion]

Strategic Depth is an outdated concept, I can only wonder why it continues to haunt India's greatest strategists and tacticians. The "Strategic Depth" was a priority only when a conventional war was the order of the day, however war today has become a much more multi-faceted affair with the concept of "Conventional War" now totally obsolete. There's a lot more involved now, economics, human resources, opinion moulding will decide a modern war.

they should replace the word with "natural depth" and Indians should recognise this natural depth that trade route to CARs for India is from Pakistan and on the similar lines Afghanistanis have to reach India through Pakistan.

The real moral question is, do Afghanis want to be used as Pakistan's strategic depth? Thanks to the British, Pakistan is today in possession of lands historically Afghani, we have posters here suggesting Pakistan should accede parts of Afghanistan. Pakistan has sought to control Afghanistan politically through Taliban.

So is it in anyone else's interest for Pakistan to run Afghanistan, when Pakistan is obviously incapable of running Pakistan?

the ignorants come up with that excuse which has been debunked by international LAW.

 

[notsuperstitious]

Strategic Depth is an outdated concept, I can only wonder why it continues to haunt India's greatest strategists and tacticians. The "Strategic Depth" was a priority only when a conventional war was the order of the day, however war today has become a much more multi-faceted affair with the concept of "Conventional War" now totally obsolete. There's a lot more involved now, economics, human resources, opinion moulding will decide a modern war.

You are forgetting regimes in Afghanistan (except the pakistan sponsored taliban regime) have been hostile to Pakistan and India has always had good relations with them.

The whole strategic depth concept was always not practical, it was just an excuse to try to deny India influence in Afghanistan and install a puppet government in Afghanistan. India wishes to counter just that, as it makes economic and human resources sense, if you think carefully.

 

[ares]

they should replace the word with "natural depth" and Indians should recognise this natural depth that trade route to CARs for India is from Pakistan and on the similar lines Afghanistanis have to reach India through Pakistan.



the ignorants come up with that excuse which has been debunked by international LAW.

'Natural depth', 'Strategic depth' are just semantics for broader expression of the phrase that neither India nor rest of world will allow Pakistan to return Afghanistan to its pre 9/11 "terrorist haven" state.

Afghanistan is a landlocked state, with very limited resources..world has very few interest in it, except the fact the radical govts(promoted by Pakistan) made it into migraine for them.

 

[Baby Leone]

lol, even indians wanted to deny the rights of muslims in sub-continent to hav their own land. than they wanted to deny Pakistan's share after partition now look Pakistan is their MashAllah not only surviving but growing with all problems from 10 to 12 billion economy has now economy of more than 500$ billion, soo does any one care wht india want?

 

[Spring Onion]

'Natural depth', 'Strategic depth' are just semantics for broader expression of the phrase that neither India nor rest of world will allow Pakistan to return Afghanistan to its pre 9/11 "terrorist haven" state.

Afghanistan is a landlocked state, with very limited resources..world has very few interest in it, except the fact the radical govts(promoted by Pakistan) made it into migraine for them.

Please dont club India with rest of the world because the rest of the world has agreed to go pre 9/11 Afghanistan.

the world has interest in Afghanistan if it was NOT the case India would not have been worried about Pakistan's edge.

 

[arp2041]

Please dont club India with rest of the world because the rest of the world has agreed to go pre 9/11 Afghanistan.

the world has interest in Afghanistan if it was NOT the case India would not have been worried about Pakistan's edge.

Totally False.

Pre-9/11 Afghanistan means, complete control of Taliban which in turn means complete control of Pakistan over affairs of Afghanistan. But that will never be the case now or in the future, Taliban can at best be accommodated in the Afghanistan Govt. but will never be given 100% control. There were no US bases pre-9/11, but that will not be the case now as US will still retain certain strategic bases & several thousand troops in Afghanistan Post-2014 atleast for another 10 years. ANA was never as powerful an army as it is now & every major country is helping it to become a capable force to defend the nation.

As far as India is concerned, whether one likes it or not, but India has made billions of dollars of investments in strengthening Afghan institutions & infrastructure (biggest regional donor), it will never let it's investments go down the drain & will make every effort to avoid this to happen.