Afghan president Hamid Karzai to visit India next week

Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai will be in India on a two-day visit beginning Monday. He has been invited by prime minister Manmohan Singh.

The president will later travel to Bhutan for the Saarc summit. India had pushed hard for Afghani-stan’s entry to Saarc as a full-fledged member.

Karzai may have fallen out with the US and his other former allies, but he has remained a steadfast supporter of India’s presence in Afghanistan.

He is expected to brief the prime minister on the security and political situation in his country and his plans to accommodate the moderate Taliban into the mainstream.

Initially opposed to talks with the Taliban, India has said it has no problems if Karzai wants to reach out to those, who are willing to abide by Afghanistan’s constitution and give up violence.