Afghan President Hamid Karzai is heading to India this week with an eye on negotiating enhanced military ties with the Indian government, and additional support in their ongoing border dispute with Pakistan.
Karzai has been keen to enhance military relations with India despite its deleterious effect on Pakistan relations, and has spurned Pakistan’s own offers to replace their Indian aid.
Pakistan has long treated Afghanistan as a “fallback” point in the event of a war with India, and sees Karzai’s pro-India stance as a major threat to their long-term military viability.
At the same time, tensions are also growing along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, with Pakistan trying to enhance security along the northwestern borders, and Afghanistan insisting that they don’t recognize the 19th century Durand Line as applicable anymore. Karzai has ruled out ever setting a border with Pakistan, pointing to just how far the two sides are apart, and the growing India ties suggest the situation is going to keep getting worse in the near term.