Afghan poll shows India most favoured, Pakistan unpopular

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

India tells US: we're willing to boost Afghan aid | Reuters

I am not sure what that has to do with my post or my question on exactly how much of the $1.2 billion pledged aid India has actually delivered?

 

[RPK]

I am not sure what that has to do with my post or my question on exactly how much of the $1.2 billion pledged aid India has actually delivered?

Status

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

You should note that "pakistan backed taliban" were a direct consequence of soviet invasion and didn't come there just because Pakistan wanted them to come.

Also, as I have pointed out frequently, the 'Pakistan backed Taliban' arose independently of Pakistan in Afghanistan and had popular support. Pakistan did not start supporting the Taliban until it was clear that they were a rising force and one that could accomplish the goal of stabilizing Afghanistan and controlling it through a central entity.

The average Afghan was happy to support what they saw as a force that brought stability to war ravaged Afghanistan torn between various warlords fighting for control, but the Taliban also garnered support from Tribal leaders and notables, including current President Karzai and his family.

So to argue that somehow this was a Pakistan created force foisted upon Afghans with no local roots or support is a complete lie.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Status

It is a breakdown of projects but not a breakdown of how much actual money pledged by India is spent on all those projects (not each project individually, but total amount spent on them all).

The thread on Pakistan's contribution to Afghanistan for example breaks down Pakistani support both in terms of listing projects undertaken by Pakistan as well as the amount spent ($500 million).

http://www.defence.pk/forums/strate...-investment-afghanistan-hits-500-million.html

 

[mr42O]

Status

HAHAH look at source . Give us some proof pictures of porjects maybe ? I have never seen one not on Indian channels either

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

HAHAH look at source . Give us some proof pictures of porjects maybe ? I have never seen one not on Indian channels either

Can you please be constructive and not troll please?

You could have simply asked for pictures.

 

[TruthAloneTriumphs]

thanks alot, but i couldnt see the whole content, only couple of lines.

Original article: BBC News - Afghans more optimistic for future, survey shows
Contents of the actual survey: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/11_01_10_afghanpoll.pdf

 

[Moorkh]

India has not been denied exports to Afghanistan through Iran, so the argument that Pakistan is the only choice is inaccurate. In fact, Indians love to point out this fact, that they do not need Pakistan given that Iran can be used as a route to Afghanistan and the CAR's.

Secondly, Pakistan has allowed Afghan exports to India under the old ATT as well, so on that count too there have been no major restrictions historically.

Now if this poll is true, then it is obvious that Afghans do not have great affinity with Pakistan - but my point is precisely that the fact that the Afghans do not have great affinity with Pakistan despite all these cultural, economic, trade and travel linkages between Afghans and Pakistanis is disappointing and reflective of a negative mindset propagated through anti-Pakistan propaganda by successive Afghan regimes.

i would like to make the following point

yes you are right in saying that india can transport goods through iran
and that is how it has the current volume of trade.

i say "only choice" as an exaggeration of the fact that trading with pakistan makes the most economic sense.

the connection with iran is still weak compared to the roads joining pakistan and afganistan. also the distance is greater through iran.

some of the bigger indian producers might be able to easily absorb the extra costs of the longer route but the afgani traders who i am led to believe are not so well off can not pay that amount to export to india.

the above is a speculation of mine based on the skewed trade balance (in &#37 between india and afganistan

so i stand by my assertion that exporting to pakistan is like the only option for afganistan. the other options are painfully costlier.

i think i forgot to mention about the CAR . they dont have any good port to land goods at.

the closest port for the CAR not on the arabian sea would be all the way in the black sea. the ones in arabian sea are in pakistan or iran

so they can not be used to transport goods to/from afganistan at economical rates.

 

[RPK]

It is a breakdown of projects but not a breakdown of how much actual money pledged by India is spent on all those projects (not each project individually, but total amount spent on them all).

The thread on Pakistan's contribution to Afghanistan for example breaks down Pakistani support both in terms of listing projects undertaken by Pakistan as well as the amount spent ($500 million).

http://www.defence.pk/forums/strate...-investment-afghanistan-hits-500-million.html

iam not able to attach the file you can get it in

Embassy of India, Kabul, Afghanistan

 

[RPK]

India’s Assistance Programme for Afghanistan’s Reconstruction
After the ouster of Taliban, India has played a significant role in the reconstruction and redevelopment of
Afghanistan since 2002. This is based on the understanding that democracy and development are key instruments
in ensuring that Afghanistan becomes a source of regional stability and does not slide back into extremism as
happened earlier. This has been further manifested both through high-level political engagement as well as through
extensive developmental assistance programme. The present level of our assistance stands at US $ 750 million,
making India the 5th largest bilateral donor in Afghanistan after the US, UK, Japan and Germany. This is a
substantial amount for a non-traditional donor like India.
2. Of the total pledge of US $ 750 million between 2002-09, the fully committed amount is US $ 758.21
million and cumulative disbursement up to 2006-07 has been US $ 278.94 million (US $ 34.85 million in
2002-03; US $ 20.89 million in 2003-04; US $ 60.5 million in 2004-05; US $ 81 million in 2005-06 and
US $ 81.7 million in 2006-07). This is higher than the disbursement rates of most other countries. The
budgetary estimate for 2007-08 is US $ 105.04 million.
3. India has undertaken projects virtually in all parts of Afghanistan, in a wide range of sectors including
hydro-electricity, power transmission lines, road construction, agriculture and industry, telecommunications,
information and broadcasting, education and health, which have been identified by the Afghan government as
priority areas for development. All the projects are undertaken in partnership with the Afghan government, in total
alignment with the Afghanistan National Development Strategy and with focus on local ownership of assets. Some
of the major projects include:
• Construction of 220 KV Double Circuit Transmission Line from Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul and a 220/110/20 KV
sub-station at Kabul under the North-East Power System project to bring power from neighbouring
countries to Kabul (US $ 111 million);
• Humanitarian food assistance of 1 million tons of wheat in the form of high protein biscuits distributed to
1.4 million school kids daily under School Feeding Programme in Afghanistan administered through World
Food Programme (US $ 100 million);
• Construction of 218 km road from Zaranj to Delaram to facilitate movement of goods and commodities
from Afghanistan to Iranian border (US $ 175 million - approval for additional US $ 91 million is being
sought);
• Reconstruction and completion of Salma Dam Power Project (42 MW) in Herat province (US $ 116 million
- approval for additional US $ 36 million is being sought);
• Construction of Afghan Parliament (US $ 83 million);
• Reconstruction of IGICH in Kabul in various phases including reconstruction of surgical ward/polyclinic/
diagnostic centre (US $ 6.7 million);
• Reconstruction of Habibia School (US $ 5.1 million);
• Digging of 26 tube wells in North west Afghanistan (US $ 1.2 million);
• Gifting of vehicles (400 buses, 200 mini-buses, 105 municipality and 285 army vehicles) (US $ 25
million);
• Setting up of 5 toilet-cum-public sanitation complexes in Kabul (US $ 0.9 million);
• Telephone exchanges in 11 provinces connecting to Kabul (US $ 11.1 million) and
• Expansion of National TV network by providing an uplink from Kabul and downlinks in all 34 provincial
capitals (US $ 6.8 million) contributing towards greater integration of the country.
4. Skills development and capacity building has been identified as a key area of priority, expected to become
the vanguard in tackling the mammoth challenge of institution building in Afghanistan. In furtherance, GoI has
offered 500 ICCR long-term University scholarships and 500 short-term ITEC training programmes for Afghan
nationals annually from 2006-07 onwards. 30 Indian civil servants are also being deputed under the
GoI/GoA/UNDP MoU for Capacity for Afghan Public Administration programme envisaged to build capacity in
various Afghan Ministries (US $ 1.08 million). Other major skills development projects include - CII project for
training 3,000 Afghans in the trades of carpentry, plumbing, welding, masonry and tailoring (US $ 1.4 million), as
well as SEWA project for technical assistance to Women’s Vocational Training Centre in Bagh-e-Zanana (US $ 0.6
million). Since 2002, around 2700 Afghans have trained/studied in India under the various GoI sponsored training
programme.
5. In the next phase of our assistance programme, India will be implementing community-based, small
development projects (US $ 20 million) in the fields of agriculture, rural development, education, health,
vocational training, etc. with short gestation periods having direct and visible impact on community life, with focus
on local ownership and management (announced during PM Dr. Manmohan Singh’s visit to Afghanistan, August 28-
29, 2005).
6. India’s endeavour has been to act in conformity with the best aid-effective principles, taking fully into
account the local government priorities in co-ordination with other donors, using local sub-contactors and materials
as practicable, with miniscule proportion of budget being spent on security and salaries (unlike the case of other
donor agencies/countries i.e. USAID, DFID, EC, WB, ADB, etc. where these components constitute as high as 65%
of the overall budget). The cost effectiveness of Indian aid is greatly appreciated by the Afghan government and
by the people on the ground.
2
7. Given below is a summary table of the ongoing GoI projects in Afghanistan.
Ongoing Project/Pledge Amount
($ million)
1. Construction of 220 KV Double Circuit Transmission Line from Pul-e- Khumri to Kabul and
a 220/110/20kV Sub-station at Kabul in Afghanistan
$ 111 m
2. Food assistance of 1 million tons of wheat in the form of high protein biscuits for School
Feeding Programme in Afghanistan and supplied through World Food Programme (WFP)
$ 100 m
3. Construction of 218 km road from Zaranj to Delaram (additional US $91 m cost escalation
projected on account of security, additional link roads, increase in raw material prices)
$ 84 m
(+ US$ 91 m)
4. Reconstruction and completion of Salma Dam Power Project (42 MW) in Herat province in
Afghanistan (additional US$ 36 m cost escalation projected for civil and electromechanical
works)
$ 80 m
(+ US$ 36 m)
5. Construction of Afghanistan’s Parliament building $ 83 m
6. Reconstruction of IGICH in Kabul in various phases including reconstruction of surgical
ward/polyclinic and diagnostic centre; commissioning of new heating system, electric sub
station; solid waste disposal system; medical library; furniture; neo-natal and maternity
care centre; supply of HT stabilizers, incinerators and lifts
$ 8.7 m
7. Supply of 200 mini buses $ 4.1 m
8. Rehabilitation of Amir Ghazi, Qargha Reservoir Dam $ 4.1 m
9. Multidisciplinary projects in Nangarhar to wean away poppy cultivators $ 2 m
10. Indian Medical Missions at Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Jalalabad $ 6.6 m
11. Adoption of 100 villages for solar electrification and rainwater harvesting $ 3.5 m
12. Expansion of TV coverage in Afghanistan in 24 provinces $ 3.3 m
13. Construction of additional cold storage facilities in Afghanistan (?) $ 3.1 m
14. Supply of 30,000 Desk-cum-Benches to schools in Nangarhar province $ 2.72 m
15. 500 Scholarships for Afghan students for university education in India $ 1.75 m
16. 500 short-term training programme for Afghan trainees $ 2.55 m
17. Setting up of a Skill Building Initiative by CII in Kabul $ 1.4 m
18. TATA InfoTech Center of excellence for IT Education and training in Kabul
(cancelled)
$ 1.1 m
19. Supply of 10 Ambulances $ 0.22 m
20. Women’s Vocational Training Centre in Bagh-e-Zanana, Kabul $ 0.6 m
21. Hole-in-the wall Project for Habibia School $ 0.1 m
22. Setting up of 11 multipurpose Community Tele-centre $ 0.33 m
23. Supply of medical equipment to Afghan National Army $ 0.5 m
24. Supply of equipment to Kabul Times Newspaper $ 0.05 m
25. Contribution for Border Management of Afghan Police $ 1 m
26. Contribution to Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund $ 1 m
27. Restoration of Stor Palace $ 2.2 m
28. Setting up of a Hindi department in Nangarhar $ 0.02 m
29. Deputation of 30 civil servants as advisors with key Afghan ministries under UNDP’s
proposal for creating Capacity Development Facility for Afghanistan
$ 1.08 m
30. Small Development Projects: to be implemented in collaboration with Afghan Ministry of
Economy
$ 20 m
31. Training of BNA officials at PTI $ 0.02 m
32. Supply of equipment to Azadi Press in Kabul $ 0.7 m
33. Setting up of a training facility for M/EW in Kabul $ 0.99 m
34. Conservation and restoration of National Museum objects, National Archives manuscripts
& historical buildings & monuments in Kabul
$ 1 m
35. Setting up of disability camp in Afghanistan ($ 0.13m - not yet approved)
36. Construction of sub-stations at Charikar and Doshi ($ 13.43 m - not yet approved)
37. Satellite remote sensing data ($ 0.07 m - not yet approved)
38. Study of Kabul river basin (not yet approved)
39. Publicity film on Afghanistan (not yet approved)
40. Setting up of a Afghanistan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (AAAS) (not yet approved)
41. Supply of medical equipment to Afghan National Army ($ 0.5 m -not yet approved)
42. Conservation of Afghan historical sites and manuscripts ($ 0.17 m - under review)
43. Co-operation in Housing & Urban sector, based on HUDCO team report
44. Construction of additional cold storage facilities in Afghanistan ($ 3.1m) - (to be
reviewed)
45. Deputation of 5 experts to Kabul Municipality ($ 0.18 m - under review)
46. Assistance in setting up of a Rural Enterprise Development Programme Unit at Afghan
MRRD (deputation of 2 experts)
Total amount
$ 532.73 m
(+ $ 127 m)
3
Completed Projects by Government of India since 2002
Sl
No
Project Description Approximate
Expenditure
1. Consignment of 20,000 blankets and 34 tons of Winter clothing provided for
immediate humanitarian relief. Earthquake relief consisting of 200 tents, 10000
blankets, and nearly 10 tons of medicines was delivered to Afghanistan. 272 tons of
medicines, medical instrument and equipment
$ 2 m
2. Contribution to Afghan Government budget $ 10 m
3. Computer Training Centre at Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Pul-e-Khumri, Jalalabad $ 0.5 m
4. Contribution to World Bank managed Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund. $ 0.8 m
5. 8646 educational kits gifted to students of Habibia School in Kabul, Laboratory
equipments and sports goods for schools in Nimroz Province, Books to Kandahar and
Khost universities and teachers training
$ 7.4 m
6. Supply of three airbus aircrafts, along with essential spares including two engines,
and services including crew support to the Ariana Afghan Airlines
$ 13.7 m
7. Supply of 400 buses to the Afghan Government for its public transport system $ 13 m
8. Supply of 105 vehicles to Kabul Municipality by Eicher, Tata and BEML $ 3 m
9. Drilling of 24 deep wells in Herat $ 0.9 m
10. Reconstruction of Habibia school $ 5.1 m
11. Restoration/revamping of Information set up, including setting up of printing press,
100 KW-SW Transmitters, TV Satellite uplinking / down linking facility for 10 TV
Stations
$ 3.5 m
12. Emergency restoration of telecommunication network infrastructure in 11 provinces $ 11.1 m
13. Setting up of Common Facilities Service Centre and Tool Room at Pul-e-Charkhi
industrial Park
$ 3.1 m
14. Supply of 67 tons of vegetable seeds to the Ministry of Agriculture $ 0.7 m
15. Teachers (English language) in Kabul, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif and Pule-
Khumri
$1.5 m
16. Supply of 110/20 KV & 20/0.4 kV substation equipment/110kV & 20 kV Transmission
line material in Faryab province & extension of warranty period for eqpt & continued
presence of experts
$7.8 m
(+ $ 0.4 m)
17. Solar electrification of TTC at Signan $ 0.2 m
18. Restoration/ augmentation of TV hardware in Jalalabad and Nangarhar Province
including setting up of a TV studio, a TV transmitter, a Mobile TV satellite uplink and
five TV relay centres
$ 1.4 m
19. Supply of 20000 Desk-cum-Benches for schools in Afghanistan through Ministry of
Education
$ 0.9 m
20. Construction of 5000 MT cold storage at Kandahar $ 1.5 m
21. Skill development programme $ 0.02 m
22. Training of 1126 Afghan personnel in India $2.05 m
23. Supply of 1000 Sewing machines $ 0.4 m
24. F&B training at Presidential palace $ 0.01 m
25. Training of 20 doctors of IGICH at AIIMS
26. School training programme for 15 teachers of Habibia School trained at Sanskriti
School in N. Delhi for 2 months Jan-Mar, 06
$ 0.02 m
27. Training of 20 Afghan diplomats at FSI $ 0.15 m
28. Training of 1326 Afghan personnel in India Since 2002, more than 1300 Afghan
trainees have been trained in various training institutes in India.
$ 2.05 m
29. Banking team in Da Afghan Bank and Millie Bank $ 2.13 m
30. Eqpt & trg of digitizing of negatives at BNA $ 0.01 m
31. Digging of 26 tube wells in 6 North West provinces (9: Herat; 6: Balkh: 6: Baghlan;
2: Badghis; 2: Faryab; 1: Jawzjan) - WAPCOS
$ 1.22 m
32. Setting up of 5 toilet complexes in Afghanistan $ 0.9 m
33. Operation and Management of existing projects $ 0.97 m
34. Visits of delegations from ASI/National Museum/National Archives; M/o RD; M/o
SSI; M/o Agriculture; Planning Commission; HUDCO team
$ 0.05 m
Total amount $ 98.08 m
(+ $ 0.4 m)
Grand Total amount committed $ 630.81 m
(+ US$ 127.4 m)
4
Cost escalations of US $ 127.4 m for Salma Dam and Zaranj-Delaram road construction projects are
being processed by MEA for approval taking the total commitment to US $ 758.21 m
Actual
Expenditure
FY 2002-03
Actual
Expenditure
FY 2003-04
Actual
Expenditure
FY 2004-05
Actual
Expenditure
FY 2005-06
Budgetary
Estimates
FY 2006-07
Amount in US $ 34.85 million 20.89 million 60.5 million 81 million 71.1 million
(US $ 1= Rs 45) 156,82,56,000 94,00,00,000 272,25,00,000 363,57,00,000 320,00,00000
Cumulative total -- US $ 55.74
million
US $ 116.24
million
US $ 197.24
million
Total pledged amount = US $ 750 million Total Committed amount = US $ 630.81 m
(+ US$ 127.4 m)

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

From the information at the beginning of the poll it would appear this poll was primarily conducted in Kabul, which would imply that the results are not surprising since Kabul has traditionally had more anti-Pakistan sentiment:

This survey was conducted for ABC News, the BBC and ARD by the Afghan Center for Socio-Economic and Opinion Research (ACSOR) based in Kabul, a D3 Systems Inc. subsidiary. Interviews were conducted in person, in Dari or Pashto, among a random national sample of 1,534 Afghan adults from 11-23 December, 2009..

The question on what people think about Pakistan's efforts against the Taliban is promising though in that there is a 6 point improvement in the response from last year:

Q36. Do you think the Pakistan government is allowing the Taliban to operate within its borders, or trying to stop the Taliban from operating there?

-------------- -- 2010 2009 2007
Is allowing---------53 -- 67 -- 69
Trying to stop---- 37 -- 24 -- 19
No opinion--------10 -- 9 -- 11

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Total pledged amount = US $ 750 million Total Committed amount = US $ 630.81 m (+ US$ 127.4 m)

Ok. So India is in fact even closer to Pakistan in terms of reconstruction than the $1.2 billion figure implies. No doubt India will commit more and get closer to that figure, but the discrepancy is nowhere as large as people make it out to be, especially given the size of Pakistan's economy relative to India and the rest of the donor nations.

 

[RPK]

Ok. So India is in fact even closer to Pakistan in terms of reconstruction than the $1.2 billion figure implies. No doubt India will commit more and get closer to that figure, but the discrepancy is nowhere as large as people make it out to be, especially given the size of Pakistan's economy relative to India and the rest of the donor nations.

no title is

Completed Projects by Government of India since 2002

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

no title is

Completed Projects by Government of India since 2002

If you read this:

Of the total pledge of US $ 750 million between 2002-09, the fully committed amount is US $ 758.21 million and cumulative disbursement up to 2006-07 has been US $ 278.94 million (US $ 34.85 million in 2002-03; US $ 20.89 million in 2003-04; US $ 60.5 million in 2004-05; US $ 81 million in 2005-06 and US $ 81.7 million in 2006-07). This is higher than the disbursement rates of most other countries. The budgetary estimate for 2007-08 is US $ 105.04 million.

The pledged amount -$750 million- (an amount India merely promises to spend on unknown projects ) is different from the actual amount committed to projects on the ground -$758 million-, which is different from the amount actually disbursed (spent)- $383.98 million.

Currently your pledged amount is $1.2 billion, and then you have to see how much of it is actually committed to projects on the ground.

Pakistan is at the least committed to $500 million to projects on the ground. And the available stats (So far) indicate that India is committed to $758 million. Pretty close, especially given the size of the respective economies.

 

[Gazzi]

lol...........wait till the Taliban take over and then take this poll.....then again, India won't be there then......Patience is virtue