President Pratibha Patil, who arrived in Dushanbe on the second leg of her two-nation tour of Russia and Tajikistan, had wide ranging talks with President Emomali Rahmon, dominated by the issue of terrorism emanating from the Afghanistan-Central Asia region. The President brought up the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and said, India was awaiting action from Pakistan against the culprits and in the dismantling of terror infrastructure. Thanking Tajikistan for its help and cooperation in the fight against terrorism, she said, “Terrorism, extremism and fundamentalism are posing a serious threat to the peace and security of our region, be it India, Afghanistan or Tajikistan.”
The other key areas that came up for discussion was hydropower which India is looking to tap as part of its long-term energy security goals. The two Presidents reviewed the progress of Varzob-I Hydro Power station upgraded by the Indian companies, BHEL and NHPC. The modernisation of the plant was announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the August 2006 visit to India by President Rahmon. While Tajikistan has no hydrocarbon resources it has made up for this lack with a huge hydropower potential. Tajiksitan’s overall hydro power potential has been placed at between 40,000 MW and 80,000 MW. The Pamir mountains feed into large rivers of Tajikistan which offer huge potential for electricity generation.
The two Presidents expressed dissatisfaction at the level of bilateral trade and said there was immense potential to take trade volumes beyond the present $25 million. They also discussed India’s assistance to Tajikistan in science and technology, communications and information technology.
President Pratibha Patil, who is the first Indian Head of State to visit Tajikistan, also visited Kulyab to pay respects at the mausoleum of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani – the Iranian Sufi saint credited with propagation and spread of Sufi Islam in the Kashmir valley. Sayyid Hamadani was born in Hamadan in Iran in 1314 but moved to Kashmir with 700 followers to escape persecution at the hands of Timur.
“President Patil said, India’s ties with other countries would not be at the cost of Russia.”
Speaking to newsmen accompanying her aboard the aircraft on her way back to New Delhi, President Patil said, India’s ties with other countries would not be at the cost of Russia. She brushed aside reports that New Delhi was moving away from Moscow. She said India really appreciated Russia’s support in the economic energy, defence and nuclear fields and their relationship stood on its own. She said this has been conveyed to Russia during her Moscow visit.
India’s stakes in Tajikistan
India’s interest in this tiny Central Asian Republic arises from a variety of factors. Today this post-Soviet State represents a confluence of big power interests. Indeed, because of Tajikistan’s critical location — it shares borders with China, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and is narrowly separated from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by a small stretch of Afghanistan — it has, in recent years, become a strategic playing ground for Russia, China and the U.S., with India joining the fray in 2001.
Added to Tajikistan’s prime location is a second attraction — it is a Muslim majority secular State with a declared interest in fighting international terrorism, religious extremism, drugs and transnational crime. Russia, from which Tajikistan separated in 1991, has a military base here and continues to mentor the State, while China has pumped money and aid into the country. The Russian and Chinese engagements are estimated at $ 1 billion and $ 400 million respectively. For the United States, this tiny landlocked State is vitalfor its strategic calculations — both because of rival Russian and Chinese interests here and because Tajikistan is next door to extremist hotbed Afghanistan.
The Indian involvement in Dushanbe hit the news in 2006 with speculation that India was negotiating to acquire an airbase in Ayni near Dushanbe. However, both sides have rubbished the speculation. President Emomali Rahmon was quoted in 2008 as saying, “there are no foreign bases and there will be no foreign bases on the territory of Tajikistan but for Russian ones.”
Officials on the Indian side too insist the story is far-fetched. Speaking on background ahead of President Patil’s visit, officials said India’s military engagement with Tajikistan was limited to providing training in defence and upgrading the airport at Ayni “on their request.” They said that as a neighbour, India had a powerful interest in supporting Tajikistan which had bravely defied the trends in the region with its secular orientation and its commitment to fighting terrorism and drugs.
Officials said India — its aid and assistance are valued at $ 20 million to $25 million — had also taken into account its own energy security needs. The Pamir mountains fed into large rivers which offered huge potential for electricity generation, they said, adding that once planned projects were completed, it should be possible for India to import electricity from Tajikistan. “If we are to meet future challenges, we must prepare to meet them today,” said an official.
