• 17 things that India has done for the people of Afghanistan. Yeah Dil Mange More. 

The visit of Afghanistan’s (AFG) foreign minister followed by AFG Pak border firings have brought AFG into the front page of Indian newspapers. 

This article lists how the Government of India has, across parties, helped the people of Afghanistan. First a Background.

Background

Modern day AFG was created by A Shah Abdali in the 18^th century. Prior to that its area was split between Persian and Mughal empires. Hindu rulers once ruled over Eastern Afghanistan, including Kabul. Islam entered Afghanistan in the 7th century. In the 7^th century the kingdoms of Kabul and Zabul were politically and culturally part of India. The independent kingdom of AFG came into being in 1926.

The British drew the Durand Line in 1893 that divided Pashtuns into two. Some lived in Pakistan and others in AFG. The Afghans formally repudiated the agreement in 1979.

In 1947 Sir Giles S, in-charge of the British Legation at Kabul, had written to the Foreign Secretary in Delhi, suggesting that the tribes should be given complete independence or become part of AFG. 4 Pg. 413. The Afghan Foreign Minister called the Secretary of State in London asking for the territory to become part of Pakistan or an independent state. 4 Pg. 415

Post September 11, 2001 World Trade Centre bombings AFG was ruled by Presidents from 2001 to 2021. Post U.S. withdrawal it is ruled by the Taliban.

In the Indian sub-continent, Pashtuns are called Pathans. Raj Kapoor Family were Hindu Pathans whilst Yusuf Khan (Dilip Kumar) were Muslim Pathans. Both were from Peshawar, Pakistan.

A search for high profile Pashtuns of Afghan descent states, “Founder of Pataudi family, Faiz Talab Khan, was a Pashtun warlord from Kandahar who became the first Nawab of Pataudi in 1804. His descendants include cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Nawabs of Rampur and Tonk: The Rohilla Pashtuns settled in the Rohilkhand region of modern-day Uttar Pradesh in the 17^th-18th centuries. Daud Khan Panni, a Mughal general and later Nawab of the Carnatic was a Pashtun from the Panni tribe. Zakir Husain: India's third President (1967–1969) was an Afridi Pathan by descent. Karim Lala was a Mumbai-based mafia don from the 1940s to the early 1980s. Bollywood actor Kader Khan belonged to the Kakar Pashtun tribe. Actress Madhubala (Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi) was a Yusufzai Pathan.”

Think of Indian Pashtuns and compare them with those in AFG-Pak region.

One might overlook but should not forget Taliban support to Pakistan’s ISI during IC814 Kandhar Hijack of 1999.

List of what India has done for the People of Afghanistan

According to a reply to a 2022 question in the Lok Sabha, India was engaged in a development partnership that included over 500 projects across over 34 provinces in areas of power, water supply, road connectivity, healthcare, education, agriculture and capacity building. Total outlay app $ 3 billion.

1. Salma Dam known as India Afghanistan Friendship Dam

“Cost over $ 275 million. Took over 10 years to complete in 2016. It has a 42 MW powerhouse and a provision for releasing water for irrigation of 75,000 hectares of land.” Source 10 things about the Salma Dam It is in Herat province.

2. Parliament House

Cost app $ 90 million. Inaugurated by PM Modi in 2015. Took long to make.

3. Restoration of Stor Palace

“The historic 100-year-old Stor Palace located in Afghan Foreign Office premises in Kabul was restored with India’s assistance in 2016.” 5

4. Zaranj-Delaram highway

“Construction of 218 km road from Zaranj to Delaram to facilitate movement of goods and services from Afghanistan to the Iranian border and, onward, to the Chahbahar Port.” 3 MEA 58 kms of Inner City roads were also built.

This highway provides landlocked AFG a connect to the sea. If it were not for this highway and Chahbahar Port connectivity, AFG would, like the Americans earlier, be dependent on Karachi Port/Pakistan. I believe that 2025 U.S. sanctions on Chahbar Port were to humour the Pakis and hurt India/AFG. 

5. “India undertook the rehabilitation of the Indira Gandhi Institute for Child Health (IGICH) in Kabul, the largest paediatric hospital in Afghanistan, and completed its new three storied Surgical Block in 2005. The Polyclinic Block was completed in 2007. Now, the newly constructed Diagnostic Block is being equipped.” 3 MEA  

“India built healthcare centres in border provinces of Badakhshan, Balkh, Kandahar, Khost, Kunar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nooristan, Paktia and Paktika.” 5

6. Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul transmission line

“Construction of 220kV DC transmission line from Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul and a 220/110/20 kV sub-station at Chimtala to bring additional power from the northern grid to Kabul.” 3 MEA  

7. “Daily supply of 100 grams of fortified, high-protein biscuits to nearly 2 million children under a School Feeding Programme.” 3 MEA

8. “Restoration of telecommunication infrastructure 11 provinces.” 3 MEA

9. “Expansion of national TV network by providing an uplink from Kabul and downlinks in all 34 provincial capitals.” 3 MEA 

10. “500 annual short-term ITEC training programmes for Afghan public servants in Indian technical and professional institutions of their choice.” 3 MEA  

11. “India–Afghanistan Vocational Training Centre for training Afghan youth in carpentry, plumbing, welding, masonry and tailoring executed by the Confederation of Indian Industries.” 3 MEA

12. “Women’s Vocational Training Centre in Baghe-Zanana for training of Afghan women (war widows and orphans) in garment making, nursery plantation, food processing and marketing.” 3 MEA

13. A 2025 Tribune India report states another symbol of India-AFG cooperation was cricket. “Several Afghan cricketers, including Rashid Khan and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, have played in IPL.” AMUL is sponsoring or supporting the AFG cricket team through advertisements.

The Tribune adds, “India and Afghanistan agreed to promote the use of Iran’s Chabahar port for supporting trade and commercial activities, including humanitarian assistance. Govt of India has already dispatched several shipments of aid, including 50,000 metric ton of wheat, 300 tons of medicines, 100 million polio doses, 27 tons of earthquake relief aid, 40,000 litres of pesticide, 1.5 million doses of Covid vaccine, 11,000 units of hygiene kits for drug de-addiction programme, 500 units of winter clothing, and 1.2 tons of stationery kits.” 

No wonder the Pakis wanted the Chabahar route to be closed. Perhaps, the U.S. helped with sanctions.

14. “Financing establishment of the Afghan National Agriculture Sciences and Technology University in Kandahar and assisting it in various ways.” 1

15. “The shipment is part of commitment made by the Government of India to supply 1.1 million tonnes of wheat for the people of Afghanistan on grant basis. The shipment of wheat will pave the way for operationalisation of the Chabahar port as an alternate, reliable and robust connectivity. 2

16. Various points in 2019 MEA report. “In September 2017, India hosted the India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show in New Delhi. India and Afghanistan established a direct air freight corridor with the arrival of the first cargo flight carrying 60 tonnes of cargo from Kabul to Delhi on 19 June 2017.First shipment of wheat from India to AFG was flagged off in 2017. Under the rubric of India-Afghanistan New Development Partnership, the following assistance programmes have been initiated.” 2

17. Joint Statement issued by India and AFG on 10/10/25 stated – a. “India will gift 20 ambulances to Afghan people. b. India continues to offer scholarships to Afghan students under the e-ICCR scholarship scheme. Other avenues to pursue studies at Indian universities under various scholarship programmes are under active consideration.  c. India is willing to assist the Afghan government in reconstructing residential buildings in the earthquake affected areas. 

d. As part of India’s ongoing healthcare cooperation with Afghanistan, several projects being done, including establishment of a Thalassemia Centre, a Modern Diagnostic Centre, and replacement of the heating system at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH) in Kabul. Additionally, India will construct a 30-bed hospital in Kabul’s Bagrami district, an Oncology Centre and a Trauma Centre in Kabul, and five Maternity Health Clinics in the provinces of Paktika, Khost, and Paktia. About 75 prosthetic limbs successfully fitted.”

 Construction of Shahtoot Dam to provide water to Kabul City

Post suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, India and Pakis are looking at river Indus closely.

Dr Sudha R wrote for Diplomat.com in 2018, “The 700-km-long Kabul River originates in Hindu Kush Mountains in central Afghanistan. It flows eastward past cities of Kabul, Surobhi, and Jalalabad. East of Jalalabad, it is joined by its main tributary, the Kunar River, which originates in Pakistan, where it is known as River Chitral. Afghanistan and Pakistan are thus upstream and downstream basin states with regard to Kabul River. After crossing into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Kabul River runs past Peshawar and Nowshera and joins the Indus River near Attock, northwest of Islamabad.” 6

Work on this dam was to start in 2018. Reasons for delay understandable. Now, India needs to help build it in Mission Mode.

Maj Gen Ajay Kumar Chaturvedi (Retd) wrote in a 2018 Foundation Paper for Vivekananda International Foundation, “Afghanistan’s authorities, with the help of Indian experts, have completed the feasibilities and detailed engineering designs of 12 hydro-power projects with the total capacity to generate 1,177 MW of electricity to be built on the River Kabul. When completed, they will store 4.7 MAF of water. That would squeeze to some extent the flow in the river and have impact on availability of water in the lower reaches of River Indus and that could have a bearing on the production of paddy in Pakistan’s Sukkur Bowl.”

According to a 2020 report Constructionworld.in India had signed an agreement to make dam. Due to change of power in AFG, its construction is delayed. Salma Dam took 10 years plus to make. This should be made in mission mode.

There is a lot that India can do to help the people of Afghanistan. If the U.S. pressurises the Pakis to allow Road Access via Wagah it would help. 

References and also read

1. Diplomat.com – What has Indian done for Afghanistan

2. 2019 MEA PDF report – see Pg 11 for Province Wise Work Done 

3. 2009 MEA India AFG Development Partnership

4. India’s Lost Frontier, the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan by Raghavendra Singh 

5. Indian Infrastructure Initiatives in Afghanistan 2021 report  

6. 2018 India’s controversial Afghanistan dams by Dr Sudha Ramchandran

7. Redefining India’s role in Afghanistan by Rakesh Sood