By IANS,
New Delhi : In a pioneering initiative, India will host the Delhi Investment Summit on Afghanistan Thursday that will bring together private companies from the region, including from Pakistan and China, to bolster the Afghan economy in the run-up to the phased withdrawal of international troops by 2014.
Over 65 foreign companies from over two dozen countries in the region have already registered at the investors’ conclave, which is being organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the governments of India and Afghanistan.
The spotlight will be on Pakistani and Chinese companies which will be participating for the first time in a regional conclave on Afghanistan that India is hosting, indicating the possibilities of cooperation in a country that is widely seen as an arena of rivalry between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Pakistani companies working in areas of agriculture, food and consultancy services will be participating in the investors’ meet.
The conclave is the first of its kind insofar as it focuses on promoting private sector investment from the region to rejuvenate and strengthen the Afghan economy, which has been battered by years of conflict.
The investors’ meet is expected to chart a framework for facilitating investment into Afghanistan through cross-cutting partnerships in areas and sectors identified by the Afghan government, senior officials said here Thursday.
The recommendations of the conclave will be considered at the Tokyo conference July 8 at which the international community will pledge funds for Afghanistan after the US-led NATO troops withdraw by 2014.
The meet underscores India’s growing stakes in the economy and security of Afghanistan. India has pledged $2 billion for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, which has not gone down well with Pakistan, which is prone to see that country as part of its strategic backyard.
India and Pakistan have not discussed Afghanistan in their bilateral talks so far, but there is indication of a move in that direction.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari June 8 met External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna briefly in Beijing on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and inquired about India’s activities in Afghanistan. Krishna explained that India was focusing mostly in areas of capacity building, education and health.