The Af-Pak region is perceived as the base of global and regional terrorism, with the presence of international terrorist groups such as the Al Qaeda, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and other UN proscribed non-state actors as Jamaat-ud Dawa. Hence, stability in the Af-Pak region is of vital interest to India. A stable Afghanistan also relates to India’s immediate foreign policy goals of a peaceful periphery, good relations with neighbours, transformation of relations with the major powers and working with the international community to see a rapid recovery of the world economy. In the past, growing hostility between India and Pakistan placed Afghanistan in the centre of confrontation in a wider dyad of mutual hostility. However, now there is greater acceptability by the international community for a role for India in Afghanistan. As a major stakeholder in regional stability, India’s engagement will remain crucial. India’s growing economic footprint provides it enough leverage to support Kabul in many ways, while the potential for aid and development remains largely untapped.

This book is a collection of essays on the situation in Afghanistan from the Indian perspective by a task force of well-qualified experts assembled by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies. The authors’ views reflect India’s interests and priorities, which often differ from the Western perspective. The panorama covers the situation in Afghanistan today, foreign interventions and state building, the emerging strategic environment, US’ Af-Pak strategy, alternative futures, the Pakistani factor in Afghanistan’s stability, and India’s role in nation-building. This work will be a valuable contribution to understanding the extremely complex situation in Afghanistan, from which India cannot disengage itself.