Keen to establish a role for itself in Afghanistan’s future, New Delhi has once again raised the question of a transit route through Pakistan which it said was necessary in the wider context of linking Central Asia with South Asia. Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee revealed here today that he had raised the matter during his meetings with the Pakistani leadership in Islamabad recently.

“Pakistan should give access through land (for transport of goods) which is now available only through ports,” Mukherjee said after a meeting with his Afghan counterpart Rangin Dadfar Spanta.

In fact, at meetings through the day with Afghan leaders—among them was a significant hour-long meeting with President Hamid Karzai—the Indian Foreign Minister, making his first trip to Kabul, was moving actively on strengthening the strategic relationships and the importance of having a friendly government in the country. The transit route issue came up even as the two countries took up the issue of increased Taliban activity from the Pakistan side as also the security of Indians in the country.

Sources said by raising the transit route access through Pakistan—using the Khyber-Jalalabad-Kabul link—India was also sending a signal to the United States and the West to put pressure on Pakistan, with the suggestion that this was crucial in the context of reaching out to the Afghans. Raising India’s assistance by another US$100 million to an overall aid package of US$750 million and signing a tripartite MoU with Afghanistan and the UNDP for capacity building were among the initiatives from India that would fit into this overall scheme.

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