 "Afghan President Ghani to visit India on April 27")
Ghani and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to hold their bilateral meeting on April 27. This will be followed by several other meetings by Ghani with Indian officials, businesses and think-tanks on April 28.
Afghanistan has been pushing for an arms deal with India under the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) for the past two years. The agreement was signed in 2011. Afghanistan, under its former president Hamid Karzai, had made several attempts to procure military weaponry, such as fighter jets, missiles and field guns, under the pact.
Under the SPA, India had been only supplying non-lethal defence equipment such as communication devices and transport equipment. However, the Modi-led government is reportedly keen to have the arms deal go through with Afghanistan.
However, the situation has somewhat turned ironical now with the new government there making several indications that it wants to now have the deal with Pakistan, leaving India high and dry.
Ever since coming to power in September last year, Ghani has been cozying up with Pakistan. There were reports that he had rejected the arms deal with India and might ink a similar deal with Pakistan instead.
"It is imperative for the Indian government now to get a clarity whether or not the offer is still there on the table. India should make sure it is there. The arms deal would form a good basis for strengthening our bilateral ties. India should also raise counter-terrorism issues during this visit and what reformation has taken place of the Afghan security forces," said Sameer Patil, associate national security fellow, Gateway House, a Mumbai-based foreign policy think tank.
India has also been concerned with the recent announcements made by the Islamic State (IS) that it has opened one of its 'branches' in Afghanistan. The Indian government might raise this issue also with Afghanistan about how it sees the situation in West Asia and the eventual rise of IS and its impact in South Asia.
India is also keen to resume the talks for having the $7.6-billion TAPI (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India) natural gas pipeline project with Afghanistan. Several Indian companies are also involved in developing the mining industry there.
India and Afghanistan also has a Preferential Trade Agreement providing substantial tariff concession to a number of their products.
The visit is expected to push Modi's vision of strengthening the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
On 14th April, Afghan first lady Rula Ghani had met India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in Delhi. Last month, Afghan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah was in Delhi. Prior to this, Swaraj and foreign secretary S Jaishankar had travelled to Kabul to meet the new leadership there.