Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to satate :-

(a) whether India promised any aid package to Afghanistan during the visit of President of that country;
(b) if so, the main items of that package; and
(c) in what manner India ensures that any military hardware that may be given to the Afghan Government would not fall into the hands of Taliban either through clandestine transfer or otherwise?

ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI E. AHAMED)

(a) No.

(b) Does not arise.

(c) A strong, united, independent and sovereign Afghanistan is in India’s national interest. India along with other members of the international community is committed to support the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), in their training and equipping, financing and development of capabilities. The Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) with Afghanistan signed on October 4, 2011 in New Delhi also provides for security cooperation between the two countries under which India agrees to assist, as mutually determined, in the training, equipping and capacity building programmes for Afghan National Security Forces. India’s assistance to Afghanistan in the defence sector is based on specific requests received from the Government of Afghanistan.

http://164.100.47.4/newrsquestion/ShowQn.aspx.

Afghanistan

South Asia