New Delhi, January 29
External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh will visit Afghanistan on February 15 and would hold talks with President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, diplomatic sources said today.
Mr Natwar Singh would remain in Kabul barely for eight hours and in the evening he would fly to Islamabad, the first bilateral visit by an Indian Foreign Minister to Pakistan since 1990.
The schedule in Kabul is under wraps for security reasons.
The Kabul leg of Mr Natwar Singh’s tour was added a few days ago. The minister will use the opportunity to call on Mr Karzai. This will be the first top-level engagement by the UPA with Kabul since Mr Karzai’s recent inauguration as elected President.
It is understood that apart from the top officers of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, the chiefs of Indian Consulates in four Afghan cities — Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharief — will also be present in Kabul to brief Mr Natwar Singh about the situation in the country.
During his talks with the Afghan leadership, Mr Natwar Singh will have a thorough review of bilateral relations. Besides, he would also be briefed about the progress made in the construction of the highway connecting Afghanistan and Iran.
The highway, being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation, has immense strategic significance in view of Pakistan’s persistent refusal to allow transit rights for movement of Indian goods to Afghanistan.
