Karzai Meets Indian Leaders in Push For Military Aid
NEW DELHI: Afghan President Hamid Karzai held talks with Indian leaders Tuesday, hoping to secure more military aid as he looks to beef up his security forces after international troops pull out next year.
An Indian foreign ministry source confirmed that Karzai had held talks late Tuesday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after a separate meeting earlier in the evening with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee.
But there were no immediate details about the discussions and officials said there would be no official statement as is customary after such meetings nor any plans for a press conference.
Officials had said before the meeting that Karzai would use his trip to India to drum up support from a long-time ally.
Karzai's spokesman, Aimal Faizi, said last week that Karzai would ask for "all kinds of assistance from India in order to strengthen our military and security institutions" during his talks in the capital New Delhi.
An Indian foreign ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said at the weekend that the discussions would cover a potential arms deal between the two countries.
"India is ready to meet any request that would strengthen Afghan security institutions," said the official.
India has been training a limited number of Afghan military officers for years at its military institutions, but has provided little weapons assistance except for some vehicles.
Speaking on Monday night as he accepted an honorary degree from a university in the northern state of Punjab, Karzai thanked India for its support since he came to power in 2001 after the fall of the Taliban.
"India, as a friend of Afghanistan, has made an immense contribution in uplifting its youths," he said.
"India has contributed $2 billion from the hard-earned money of its taxpayers for the betterment of Afghanistan."
