The Taliban have captured Afghanistan as the United States decided to withdraw the forces that included soldiers from other Nato countries after two decades. Afghanistan was a scene of chaos as the Taliban announced victory over the Afghan government forces just four months after the group launched a countrywide offensive. They swiftly captured one province after another, and finally the capital city of Kabul on Sunday.

The takeover happened so fast that it left millions of Afghans stunned and most parts of the world in shock. Harrowing visuals have surfaced from all parts of Afghanistan, with fear gripping the nation over the prospect of the return 1990-like Taliban regime. The Taliban ruled over Afghanistan during 1996-2001 implementing a version of Sharia that they interpreted as correct.

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The return of the Taliban could mark the beginning of another dark era for Afghanistan with uncertainty prevailing about the country’s economic progress and its ties with the rest of the world, particularly with those countries which have invested heavily in Afghanistan.

India is one such country. It has helped Afghanistan in all aspects of nation-building over the past two decades when the US-Nato forces provided a shield against the Taliban and other fundamentalist forces. Although India remains on a ‘wait and watch’ mode after the Taliban’s capture of Afghanistan, New Delhi has closed all its consulates and evacuated 120 of its embassy staff from Kabul.

Given the situation, it remains unclear how India will maintain diplomatic ties with a government controlled by the militant group. The Taliban rule could disrupt India’s friendly ties with Afghanistan and subsequently its strategic investments in the war-torn country.

INDIA’S STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS IN AFGHANISTAN

India has enjoyed friendly diplomatic ties with Afghanistan for a long time. This was why India played an active role in the nation rebuilding process in Afghanistan over the past two decades. India provided much-needed developmental assistance — both in terms of investments and bilateral trade — to the country.

Afghanistan has always been crucial for India’s strategic interests in South Asia. After Afghanistan was left ravaged in 2001, India has helped the country build roads, schools, hospitals, dams and many other crucial projects that helped shape the country’s future.

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India has invested more than $3 billion in Afghanistan. This includes investments in over 400 infrastructure projects across all provinces in the country.

Afghanistan is one of the few countries where India has delivered many functional projects, including the Afghan Parliament building that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015. The cost of building it was estimated at $90 million.

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BILATERAL TRADE AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

In 2011, the two nations signed the India-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement which helped enhance trade and bilateral ties further.

As part of the agreement, the two countries promised to “strengthen trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation, as well as cooperation between other bodies of business and industry representatives, with a view to expanding trade and economic relations”.

Afghanistan also got duty-free access to the Indian market as part of the agreement. As of 2019-20, bilateral trade between India and Afghanistan was estimated to be over $1 billion.

However, the Taliban’s renewed control over Afghanistan has threatened the country’s trade relations with India.

Over the years, India has helped Afghanistan build key infrastructural projects such as roads, dams, electricity transmission lines, solar panels in remote areas, telecom networks and substations.

This is besides the technical and technological support New Delhi has provided to Afghanistan as part of capacity building for infrastructure and institutional projects.

While speaking at the Afghanistan Conference in Geneva last year, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar said, “No part of Afghanistan today is untouched by the 400-plus projects that India has undertaken in all 34 of the country’s provinces.”

India had even announced 100 community development projects worth $80 million in Afghanistan as early as last year. An agreement for the construction of the Shatoot Dam in Kabul district — a project that aimed to provide drinking water to roughly 2 million residents — was also signed more recently.

The future of these projects looks uncertain with the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan. India has not had a working relationship with the Taliban in the past.

SPOTLIGHT PROJECTS

One of the key India-funded projects in Afghanistan is the 42 MW Salma Dam or the Afghan-India Friendship Dam project in Herat Province. It is a hydropower and irrigation project that was completed and launched in 2016.

The Zaranj-Delaram highway, a 218-km path built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) also counts as a flagship Indian project in Afghanistan. The cost of building the highway near the Afghanistan-Iran border is estimated to be $150 million. The highway provides access to Iran’s key Chahabar port and is strategically important to New Delhi.

The Afghan Parliament is another high-profile project completed by India at a cost of $90 million. When PM Modi inaugurated the building in 2015, he said it was India’s tribute to democracy in Afghanistan.

The restoration and inauguration of the Star Palace in 2016, originally built in the late 19th century, is another crucial project undertaken by India in Afghanistan. India, Afghanistan and the Aga Khan Development Network had signed a tripartite agreement for the restoration project. The work was completed between 2013 and 2016 by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

Facts about Indo-Afghan trade & investment ties *India has played an active role in the nation rebuilding process over the last 2 decades * India has invested heavily in Afghanistan is due to the country’s importance as a strategic ally in South Asia * The government has invested more than $3 billion in Afghanistan including investments in over 400 infrastructure projects * In 2011, the two nations signed an agreement that helped enhance trade and bilateral ties further. * As of 2019-20, bilateral trade between India and Afghanistan was estimated to be over $1 billion * One of the key India-funded projects in Afghanistan is the Salma Dam or the Afghan-India Friendship Dam project

OTHER KEY PROJECTS

India’s contribution to Afghanistan is much greater in terms of community projects, including the development of power infrastructure, healthcare, power, telecom and transportation.

India has helped Afghanistan rebuild power infrastructure including the 220KV DC-transmission line from Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province to the north of Kabul, for increasing power supply capacity. Telecommunications infrastructure in many Afghan provinces has also been restored by Indian contractors and workers.

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Numerous health clinics have been built in border provinces of Afghanistan by India including Badakhshan, Balkh, Kandahar, Khost, Kunar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nooristan, Paktia and Paktika. India has also helped in the reconstruction of many hospitals in Afghanistan besides donating ambulances and building Sulabh toilets in Kabul.

India has also gifted Afghanistan 400 buses and 200 mini-buses for bolstering urban transportation. This is in addition to 105 utility vehicles of municipal operations and 285 military vehicles for the Afghan army. India has also donated military helicopters and other aircraft to the country.

Most of these assets have been captured by the Taliban, which regained control over Afghanistan 20 years after it was forced to flee by the US-led forces. For India, however, the possibility of losing a key strategic ally in South Asia may surpass the concerns related to its $3 billion investment in Afghanistan.