Modi to inaugurate parliament building in Kabul today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Kabul this morning for an unannounced but widely anticipated Christmas visit to the Afghan capital. The visit would go through but needed a last minute security clearance given a spate of attacks in the past few days.

During his visit today, the Prime Minister would unveil two of India’s most important initiatives in Afghanistan during the short visit: the inauguration of the parliament building, and handing over ceremony for four Mi-25 attack helicopters. Mr. Modi was greeted at the Kabul airport by Afghan NSA Hanif Atmar, who had visited Delhi last month, and was returning after his two day visit to Moscow. He is expected to return to Delhi this evening.

Mr. Modi’s visit to Afghanistan is his first after becoming Prime Minister. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had visited Kabul last in 2011, and had also visited in 2005. Mr. Modi had been invited during Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani’s visit to India in April this year. “I look very much forward to receiving you in Kabul and I hope you will not only come to inaugurate the parliament (building) but also visit the Bamiyan Valley and some of our other sites,” President Ghani had said at the time.

Officials described the parliament building as “a symbol of India’s support to Afghanistan’s democracy and civil reconstruction support”. The helicopters are an equally symbolic gesture, as they denote a shift in India’s position on supplying ‘offensive’ equipment. Three of the helicopters have already reached Kabul, while the last is expected to be dispatched in the next few days.

The parliament building, that was started in 2009 has missed its completion deadlines at least 3 times since 2011, and has gone over-budget by double the original costing of $45 million. Even so, along with the $300 million Salma dam project in Heart province that was started in 2006 and is expected to be completed next year, they have generated much goodwill amongst locals. When the Salma dam (called the India-Afghanistan friendship dam) reached a critical filling point in July 2015, thousands of Afghans carried a 100 m long Indian tricolour as a gesture of gratitude.

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Source:Thehindu