India PM pledges $500m in Afghan aid

India's prime minister on Thursday pledged $500 million in fresh aid to Kabul in a move likely to raise Pakistani fears about Indian influence in Afghanistan in the wake of Osama bin Laden's killing.

Making his first visit to Kabul for six years, Manmohan Singh met President Hamid Karzai as calls grow in the United States for a quicker withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan following the death of the Al Qaeda chief.

Any rapid reduction of US forces in Afghanistan would cause India concern, as it fears the country could become dominated by a Taliban-influenced government friendly towards its arch-rival Pakistan.

"India's development assistance commitment is approximately $1.5 billion, but there are still gaps," Singh told a press conference with Karzai.

"We now have a better idea of where we can do more... We have made a fresh commitment of $500m over the next few years."

He also took a swipe at Pakistan by calling for a "thorough investigation" into bin Laden's presence in the country -- adding to widespread accusations of Pakistani incompetence or even complicity. Singh said priority areas for the fresh injection of aid would be social programmes, agriculture and infrastructure in poverty-stricken Afghanistan.

In a joint statement, Singh and Karzai said they had agreed on a "shared commitment to combating terrorism that threatens both countries as well as the region." After more than two decades without sway in Kabul, India swiftly established diplomatic ties with the new government after the 2001 US-led invasion deposed the extremist Taliban, which was allied to Pakistan.

The Afghan-Indian relationship has raised hackles in Islamabad, where the government and military establishment has long considered Afghanistan its own strategic asset to offset the perceived threat from India in the east.

"Any development that strengthens relations between India and Afghanistan will enhance security concerns in Pakistan," former Pakistani general turned military analyst Talat Masood told AFP.

"Both countries should be working for stability in Afghanistan instead of using it for a proxy confrontation."

India's tussle with Pakistan for influence in Afghanistan could sharpen as the United States begins cutting troop numbers from July with the aim of all foreign forces exiting the country by the end of 2014.

"Singh's visit is just one part of India's 'soft touch' diplomacy towards Afghanistan, which causes jealousy in Pakistan," said Saeed Naqvi, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation think-tank in New Delhi.

"India has pursued better links by building schools, hospitals and roads, and that work will now expand, while bin Laden's death in Pakistan has damaged Islamabad's reputation."

Both India and Afghanistan have troubled relations with Pakistan, accusing its military intelligence of supporting and sheltering militant leaders who orchestrate attacks in the region.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.