India was rattled when the United States and NATO agreed earlier this year to a plan by Afghan President Hamid Karzai to reintegrate Taleban fighters and reconcile with their leaders after nearly 10 years of fighting.

New Delhi has feared attempts to reach out to the insurgents would give rival Pakistan, which holds influence over the militants, a greater say in the Afghan peace process and might ultimately lead to a Taleban takeover when Western forces leave.

Successfully balancing the competing interests of India and Pakistan, who have been jockeying for influence in Afghanistan for years, has been a challenge for the United States.

“We wish to see a peaceful, stable, democratic, pluralistic Afghanistan. We strongly support Afghan people’s quest at peace and reconciliation,” Singh told Karzai at his palace in Kabul. “India supports firmly the unity, integrity and prosperity of Afghanistan.”

Violence in Afghanistan is at its worst since the Taleban were overthrown in late 2001 despite the presence of 150,000 foreign troops, including 100,000 Americans, with record casualties on all sides.

Washington recognizes that fighting alone will not end a war which has dragged on for almost 10 years and has cautiously backed a political settlement as long as conditions are met.

One of the main conditions is that insurgents renounce Al-Qaeda. The Taleban, who once sheltered Osama Bin Laden inside Afghanistan, have rejected any peace talks with the Afghan government until all foreign troops have left the country.

The trip is Singh’s first visit to Afghanistan since 2005 and comes just over a week after Bin Laden was killed by US special forces in Pakistan.

Analysts say the Taleban have been trying to distance themselves from Al-Qaeda over the past few years, and have never professed any ambitions outside Afghanistan.

India is nervous about Washington’s plans to start withdrawing troops from July and give security responsibility to Afghans in parts of the country. The death of Bin Laden has added to India’s fears of swift US disengagement.

A senior Indian government official said on Wednesday Singh would discuss with Karzai the regional implications of Bin Laden’s death which were a concern for India. On Thursday, Singh said there should be an investigation into how Bin Laden was able to hide in Pakistan for so long. In a move that could further anger Pakistan, Singh announced on Thursday India would donate a further $500 million to be spent on development projects in Afghanistan.

“We would like to develop friendly relations with all countries of this region, and that includes Afghanistan, that includes Pakistan as well,” Singh told a news conference.