In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Your Excellency Prime Minister Manmohan Singh!

Your Majesty Father of the Nation!

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen!

It is a great honour for me to welcome the Prime Minister of the Republic of India at this heart of Afghanistan. You are most welcome!

I have studied and lived many years of my life in India, as such I am well aware of the great Indian culture, its great democracy, its developments in sciences and technology and the greatness of India as a nation.  

I am not the only Afghan who has studied in India. Thousands of Afghans like me have studied in Indian schools and modern higher education institutions where they have acquired knowledge.

It is not a recent phenomenon for Afghans to travel to India. For thousands of years travels and exchanges have been a reality underpinning the deep-rooted cultural, trade and historic relations between the two nations.  

Mr Prime Minister!

Importing medicine, spices, garments and scents from India, exporting dry fruits and medicinal herbs to India, and transit of convoys from Central Asia to India through Afghanistan constitute a chapter in this shared history.

Owing to their strong relations over the history, the people of Afghanistan and India have developed many cultural commonalities. Many Afghans learned Indian languages while our Dari and Pashto languages also attracted considerable attention of the people of India, and Dari, in particular, became much popular in India.

Thousand of Dari writers and poets emerged in the Indian subcontinent. They wrote great books on history, literature and sciences and left useful works behind. Famous poets such as Amir Khasrau, Mirza Abdolqadir Bedil and prominent historians such as Abu al-Fazal, Mola Abdolqadir Badayuni, Ziaudin and Subhan Roy are just a few examples. The first book on Pashto grammar and collections of Pashto literature, notably the works of Nawab Muhabat Khan and Karimdad Roshani were published in India. Most important of all, a Pashto translation of the Holy Quran was first published by Nawabs of Bhopal about 150 years ago.

Many great masterpieces of great Indian art and heritage such as Mahabaharat and Kalila Damena (Wold and Fox) and tens of others have been translated into Dari Language and this process is still going on. The Shakontela of Kalidas, Rabandarnath Tagur the Kabuli Walaa, Baghban, Taj and Geetanjely, and hundreds of other Indian contemporary writings have been translated into Dari and Pashto languages by Afghan writers which constitute our common cultural heritages.

Mr Prime Minister!

 In the early 20 th century when the freedom movements in India and Afghanistan were at their height, many prominent figures of the Indian freedom movement such as Raja Mahendar Pratab, Mawlawi Barakatullah and many others including even Netaji Sobhash Chandarboos came to Afghanistan, and this process continued over the course of history. Although the people of Afghanistan won their independence, they remained concerned about the independence of India and hoped that the people of India would also get freedom. A Pashto writer had once said,

Let’s all pray, may Allah bestow freedom on India. And may the Afghans be free as well.

This prayer for the Independence of India shows the depth of feelings that our people have for the people of India.

Your Excellency!  

When a modern school was first opened in Afghanistan, Indian teachers came to Afghanistan to teach modern education, and India has ever since continued assistance to our education system. After India’s independence, your assistance was expanded even more in different fields.  The role of Indian teachers in modernizing Afghanistan’s education system is unforgettable.

In addition to education and health, our Indian friends have rendered significant assistance through different development projects. Three and a half years ago, when the people of Afghanistan took control of their own destiny and government after a long period of crisis and foreign aggression, the people of India extended their hands of cooperation to us again. In addition to many other small and large size projects, India has committed to accomplishing the Dilaram-Zaranj Highway, the Salma Dam and power supply projects in Afghanistan. Most important of all, Afghanistan’s Parliament building will also be constructed with Indian assistance which reflects on India’s strong commitment to democracy and democratic institutions. The people of Afghanistan highly value the multifaceted assistance rendered to Afghanistan by the Indian people.

Your Excellency!

Over the past three and a half years, Afghanistan has successfully passed through several stages of state-building. In about 20-days time, with the completion of parliamentary elections all organs of the state will be in place which will seal the Bonn Peace Process and usher Afghanistan into a new democratic era.   

In the wake of these developments, we want Afghanistan to regain its position as a bridge between Central Asia and South Asia. Our neighbours and all countries in the region can take advantage of the opportunity that Afghanistan offers to further trade, economic and social developments. We envision that the strengthening of economic and commercial relations across the region will strengthen and safeguard peace and stability in the region.

Indian companies, businessmen, and entrepreneurs can invest in our country and do business here, and export goods to other countries through Afghanistan.  Improvement of bilateral trade and economic relations between India and Afghanistan will improve the living standards of our people, and the historic and cultural ties between the two countries will enter a new stage of development and expansion. Consequently, our friendship will become stronger in the interest of our people.

I finish my remarks with hopes for the strengthening of friendship between our people to an even greater extent. I hope our guests will have a comfortable stay in our country, and as Rahman Baba says; may our hearts be their corner of comfort.  

There is no need for beds and bed sheets

The place of our friends is in our hearts.

Thank You!