Miraj Muhammad and Jamal Shah
Mr Miraj Muhammad is pursuing his PhD from the Department of Political Science, Qurtuba University, Peshawar.
Dr Jamal Shah is Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan.
DOI: http://DOI Number
Keywords: Pakistan, Afghanistan, border, influence, religion, hostile, political, territorial issues, trust deficit, Indian factor, Pakistan’s foreign policy, strategic depth, political gains, government, Indian interests.
Abstract
Pakistan and Afghanistan—being neighbours with a long, porous, and not effectively managed border—influence each other strongly due to their common history, culture, and religion. Their relations have been mostly hostile rather than friendly due to political and territorial issues and, more significantly, because of a trust deficit between them. This state of affairs has been galvanised because of the Indian factor, which, in turn, has greatly influenced Pakistan’s foreign policy in general and towards Afghanistan in particular. The Indian factor is considered to be mainly responsible for the strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan’s adoption of the policy of ‘strategic depth’ was a move in that direction. Both Pakistan and India are busy in achieving maximum political gains in Afghanistan. The main interests of Pakistan and India are to circumvent the installation of a pro-India and pro-Pakistan government, respectively, in Afghanistan. The main objective of this paper is to show how and to what extent India influences Pak-Afghan relations. It briefly explores the main stages of the Pak-Afghan relations and also looks into the Indian interests in Afghanistan and the means New Delhi has employed to realise them.
First Published
June 25, 2017
How to Cite
Miraj Muhammad and Jamal Shah, “An Assessment of India’s Role in Pak-Afghan Relations,” Regional Studies 35, no.3 (Summer 2017): 58-93, https://regionalstudies.com.pk/wp/article/an-assessment-of-indias-role-in-pak-afghan-relations/
Issue
Volume 35, Issue 3