RIYADH, 22 April — India has failed to translate the political settlement in Afghanistan into an economic gain, according to an Indian journalist who visited the war-ravaged country recently.
Ms. Neena Gopal, political editor of Dubai-based Gulf News, was speaking at the Indian Women’s Forum here on Saturday. Dr. C.V. Raja Mohan, strategic affairs editor of "The Hindu", and V. Sudarshan, senior analyst of "Outlook" weekly, also addressed the meeting organized by Sunita Mainee Ahmad, wife of Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad at the embassy auditorium here.
Neena said India was unable to exploit the situation in Afghanistan to its advantage despite the goodwill it enjoys among the Afghans.
Noting that food, clothing and housing are the basic needs of the Afghan people, Neena said India should address their concerns within the framework of their bilateral relations. She also suggested organizing a cultural delegation to Kabul, since Indian films and music are very popular among the Afghans. Turning to the political situation, Neena said interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai’s writ does not run beyond Kabul because of the internecine differences among the different factions.
She said the US failure to nab the Al-Qaeda men and other key Taleban members is due to the lack of support from the Pashtun-dominated Afghan population and the faction-ridden nature of the Afghan society.
The US, she pointed out, has strategic interests in Afghanistan, which has huge untapped oil and gas reserves stretching into the Central Asian republics. This explains why the US is keen on retaining its influence in Afghanistan.
Speaking on his recent visit to China, Dr. Raja Mohan said the starting point of Indo-Chinese relations has been to get "physical connectivity" between New Delhi and Beijing, with the inauguration of the first direct flight between the two capitals and also between Delhi and Shanghai.
Sudarshan spoke about his recent visit to Colombo and the prospects of a Norwegian-brokered peace accord between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. He said the prospects of a breakthrough are brighter than ever before as both parties are in a conciliatory mood after more than 20 years of civil war.
