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PM to visit Afghanistan
By Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi
August 05, 2005
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to visit Kabul in August for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the new Afghanistan parliament building. Afghan President Hamid Karzai will lay the foundation stone.

The visit will enhance closer economic and trade cooperation and partnerships in many other areas, according to Dr Sanjaya Baru, Dr Singh's media advisor.

India's Central Public Works Department will build the parliament building in Kabul.

The Afghan initiative

Since the fall of the Taliban, India has been closely associated in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Indians are building roads, training governmental staff, helping Afghans rebuild their medical infrastructure, and running air services.

India's assistance in rebuilding Afghanistan is critical for the war-devastated Afghans.

Since Afghanistan's constitutional scholars have taken inspiration from the Indian Constitution while drafting their new one, Dr Singh's visit is considered not just important but prestigious as well.

News from Afghanistan

Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi
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