Historic Conference on Afghanistan concludes with road map!
July 24, 2013; Washington DC: United States India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) organized a conference at the Capitol Hill focusing on Afghanistan and the Region. The discussions centered on developing a balanced and unified roadmap to enable security and stability for a prosperous Afghanistan and South Asia.
USINPAC brought together leading U.S. policy makers including the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee: Congressman Ed Royce and Congressmen Eliot L. Engel, and Congressman Joseph Crowley, Co-Chair, Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans to share an American perspective to the debate. They expressed political willingness for best possible options relating to US- Afghan alliances on intelligence gathering, training and equipping Afghan forces during the transition phase. Congressman Joseph Crowley reiterated that people of Afghanistan have the right to chart their own future; I believe they are ready for peace and the 2014 elections is their chance to vote for self-governance, stability and security in their country.
Other speakers at the conference included visiting senior Indian political leaders like Mr. Rajnath Singh, President, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP, Opposition Party), Mr. Kanwal Sibal, Former Foreign Secretary and Mr. Ajit Doval, Former Director, Intelligence Bureau. Mr. Rajnath Singh, President, BJP, talking about India’s support, said “India’s development aid stands at $ 2 billion today. Almost the entire amount is spent on development related activity like the construction of the new Parliament building, dams, roads, electricity to Kabul, hospitals, schools etc” He stressed the need for a systematic withdrawal and said, “it must be ensured that we do not leave behind a ‘ Black Hole’ of global security while leaving that country.
Mr. Ashraf Haidari, Deputy Chief Mission of the Afghan Embassy in India said, “it is yet to be seen if the help pledged in the conferences on Afghanistan is delivered”. He was sure that if given a chance and left alone, the Afghans will be able to take care of themselves and their country. Mr. Senge Sering, President, Institute of Gilgit Baltistan expressed that the area of Gligit- Baltistan is the lynchpin of Afghanistan in that area. Ms. Lisa Curtis, Senior Research Fellow, Heritage Foundation and Mr. Michael O’ Hanlon, Director of Research, Brookings Institute weighed in on critical issues relating to peace and security in the region.
The discussions prompted robust interaction between the speakers and the audience. All stakeholders agreed that despite challenges facing Afghanistan it can achieve security, stability and prosperity in the future. However, this will require committed and inclusive political strategy, judicious exploitation of natural resources and strong and continuous support from the international community. Hope was expressed that Afghanistan can rise to these challenges and with expertise and assistance from stable and ethnically diverse democracies like USA and India, as its strategic partners, the country could play a vital role in ensuring stability and security not just for its own citizens but for those of South Asia and the world.
Youtube and video transcript of the sessions will be available shortly on www.usinpac.com
Source: www.ocenstylemagazine.com
