Obama in India- Talks on Afghanistan will be crucial

As India gets ready to host President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, the Prime Minister's think tank is also gearing itself up to discuss a host of issues especially Afghanistan.

The possible rise of the ISIS the Al-Qaeda and also the sudden surge in activity by Pakistan are all issues that would be discussed by the US president and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sources tell OneIndia that there are a host of issues ranging from defence to economy which would be discussed, but Afghanistan will be a very issue during the talks between the two leaders.

Heightened Pakistan activity in Afghanistan

There has been a surge in Pakistan activity in Afghanistan at the moment. The Pakistanis have kept Taliban leader Mullah Omar in a safe house and has all plans of launching him soon.

In addition to this India has seen Pakistan increasing funding and providing weapons and also aiding the Taliban with strategic planning. This is aimed at gaining control over the militancy even further to destabilise the region.

Afghanistan can prosper with Indian assistance

The country has been torn by war and development is a far cry over there. India and Afghanistan can work together in enhancing trade relations which would be beneficial to both nations.

For India Afghanistan is a very crucial energy destination. India has an interest in the natural resources in Afghanistan such as iron, lithium, cobalt and copper. Further there is also a natural gas and oil interest and if India does manage to strike the right chord it could explore these natural resources.

India has not been able to do so Afghanistan has been torn by war and these natural resources have remained un-explored. India would impress upon the US regarding these aspects and want it to play a bigger role in ensuring that peace and stability is maintained in a bid to serve the economic interests of both India and Afghansitan.

It is very important for peace to return to Afghanistan if the silk route needs to be revived. Afghanistan plays a vital role in the revival of the silk route and this could be done only if there is stability in the region.

Training the Afghanistan police

This has been a contentious issue between India and Paksitan. India would impress upon the United States to permit expansion of its role in training the Afghan police and also the security forces.

India would tell the US that it would use its counter insurgency expertise in training the Afghanistan forces. Most people in Afghanistan would want the Indians to play a greater role.

However Pakistan would ensure that it launched its proxy war in full force. This could be a stumbling block when India would attempt to ensure that peace and stability returns to the region.

Cooperation to curb drug trafficking

The drug mafia which operates out of Paksitan and Afghanistan is not just a concern for India, but to the rest of the world. Most of the drugs originate out of Afghanistan and are provided a safe route by Pakistan.

Despite the presence of the West Afghanistan has remained the largest producer of drugs and India feels that with the troops withdrawing this would only worsen the problem.

India would need to work in coordination with the US agencies to curb this problem. A lot of intelligence of the US emerging out of Pakistan and Afghanistan would need to be shared with the Indian agencies in order to make the region drug free.