European Parliament Praises India for its Contribution to Rebuild Afghanistan

The European Parliament praised India for the use of ‘soft power’ in rebuilding Afghanistan since the Taliban government was ousted in 2001.
In its report, the EP said, “The Republic of India is the largest regional donor to Afghanistan, providing some 3 billion USD in assistance since the Taliban Government was ousted in 2001”.
It added, “this assistance has funded, among other things, the building of more than 200 schools in Afghanistan, over 1 000 scholarships for Afghan students, and the possibility for roughly 16 000 Afghans to study in India”.
“India has also provided assistance in the construction of critical infrastructure, such as around 4 000 km of roadways in Afghanistan, most notably the Zaranj-Dilaram Highway, the Salma Dam and electricity transmission lines and the Afghan parliament building,” said the European Parliament in its resolution of 14 December 2017.
The European Parliament believes India is the regional partner to help maintain peace and development in Afghanistan, a country facing decades’ long conflict.
The European Parliament also mentioned about the new US strategy for Afghanistan under which an additional 4,000 soldiers will join the existing US contingent of 8,400 soldiers.
It said, “The new US strategy demands that Pakistan stop harbouring and supporting terrorists and calls for greater involvement by the Republic of India in helping to stabilise the region”.