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India’s
Role in Central Asia By Kumar Amitav Chaliha India has launched a number of new policy initiatives in the Central Asian states and their vicinity. The economic and strategic initiatives now being implemented are shaped by several factors, including India’s vision of playing a broader Asian role commensurate with its rising economic and military power. The strategies are also meant to extirpate Islamic terrorism from South Asia, Afghanistan and Central Asia; to checkmate Pakistan and restrain China’s growing power and influence; to prevent India from falling into energy dependency on any one source; and to have access to new trading opportunities. India has joined the “New Great Game” being played in the Central Asian region where competition for economic and strategic positioning is intensifying. The ensuing conflict of interest in the area between India’s longtime ally, Russia, its newfound strategic partner, America, nuclear rival China, and Iran, is fuelling New Delhi’s “forward” Central Asian policy. Since India is unable to insulate Central Asia from such power politics, it has decided to become a part of it. Its size, military and nuclear capability makes it a significant part of the complex jigsaw. Pakistan, as part of its ongoing challenge to India in Kashmir and South Asia generally, has consistently tried to establish strategic depth in Central Asia. It tried to implement its agenda from the 1990s by supporting the Taliban, and through them the myriad extremist and terrorist groups that have destabilized Kashmir and Central Asia. The events of September 11 and especially the attack on India’s Parliament in December, 2001, has awoken India to the urgent need of devising a comprehensive strategy to stabilize Central Asia and prevent it from becoming a haven for terrorism and a strategic platform from which Pakistan could threaten Indian interests. As a strategic measure, India in May,2002 established its first military facility outside its territory at Farkhor in Tajikistan. A bilateral agreement was also signed in April to train Tajik defense personnel, and service and retrofit their Soviet and Russian military equipment similar to that of the Indian armed forces. A similar pact between India and Kazakhstan is expected to be signed soon. Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, besides Russia, have supported India’s case for entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The six-nation organization, which also includes China, was set up six years ago to deal with border issues, combat ethnic and religious tensions in member countries and to safeguard against the spread of Islamic terrorism. While Beijing has been silent on the issue of India’s entry and encouraging Pakistan’s membership, security officials feel China would not oppose India’s case as part of its long-term policy of “keeping its friends close, but its enemies closer.” Indian officials and entrepreneurs have been looking to explore the immense possibilities that lie with increased interaction with the five Central Asian republics. Most of these countries have enormous oil and natural gas deposits. Indian which has so far been over-dependent on oil from the Persian Gulf states, is keen to tap into the Central Asian energy reserves. There is also a huge market in this region for Indian pharmaceuticals, heavy machinery, tea, and information technology. To achieve these objectives, India has launched a regional “people-to-people” initiative by inviting diplomats, parliamentarians and opinion makers from Central Asia to visit its industrial and technological centers and also to interact with politicians, officials and businessmen.
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