WikiLeaks cables: U.S. diplomats suggest Bollywood stars should visit Afghanistan (guardian)

American diplomats suggested that the India send stars Bollywood Afghanistan, tour in order to facilitate international efforts to stabilize the country, reveals secvret cable. Photo: Corbis

American diplomats suggested that the India send Bollywood stars tour Afghanistan, facilitate international efforts to stabilize the country. March 2007 confidential cable respond to a request from Washington to "specific and concrete ideas for the possibility of using soft power in the reconstruction of the India Afghanistan", officials said that Bollywood is an area which "seems to come."

"We understand movies Bollywood are very popular in Afghanistan, arranged Indian celebrities may be asked to go to Afghanistan to help focus attention on social issues," said cable.

The idea unlikely - which never lead - reveals the tireless efforts of diplomats Embassy in New Delhi for Indian resources and willingness to support the international effort in Afghanistan. "The India has to offer assistance," notes cable, immediately adding that disputing them a key would be "to overcome... Pakistani objection [s] if the India is expanding its role".

Dozens of cable sent the Embassy reveals that diplomats of difficulty had to reconcile the different agendas regions Afghanistan America's allies.

Attempts to build its influence in Kabul India and Afghans indirect aid for relief and reconstruction have often seen by Pakistan as evidence of a strategy of encircling his historic enemy. Cable refers to "the India linger sum no suspicion towards us Pakistan policy.

A key concern for the India - apparent in several cables - is that the United States and its Western allies will withdraw prematurely of the Afghanistan after having negotiated a sort of settlement with the Taliban. The Indian position was that any attempt to reconcile with militants is doomed to failure and immerse the Afghanistan in anarchy and fanaticism, which Pakistan stands for the benefit of risk.

Cables describe Shiv Shankar Menon Indian National Security Adviser, tell a Senator Claire McCaskill, as if the Pakistani establishment felt U.S. commitment was marked, it would be "he sit out and use the Indian threat as an excuse to do what he needed [in terms of fight against activists within its own borders]."

MENON said that he could be a "a minority", but he thought there is more potential for success in Afghanistan than most observers in India. "The British were convinced that the coalition would lose because they have lost three wars, but others were able to tame the country" Menon said McCaskill in February.

Two days earlier, Yukon Sinha (India) for the Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Iran top diplomat expressed scepticism reconciliation and reintegration efforts to become a central element of the strategy Afghanistan NATO and American said diplomats "output of U.S. embolden"fanatics"feel that they had beaten both the USSR as the United States... and the result will be very bad for the region". (250219)

Meeting on 15 February this year, Senator John Kerry said Indian Foreign Minister Nirupama Rao, that July 2011 set by Barack Obama date limit for the start of the withdrawal of the Afghanistan combat forces would not U.S. commitment it and "was intended to bring leverage on Afghan to make necessary reforms officials."

Kerry accepted interlocutors Indians who

"next Pakistani border, a change was necessary in the dynamics of how a fragile Pakistan civilian Government and its strong military interact with groups like the Shura Quetta [top executive top Taliban]" as well as insurgents led by religious extremist Jalaluddin Haqqani network. (250457)Delhi believes that the Pakistani security services are actually in the control of the senior management of the Taliban.

Indian officials told us counterparts in 2007 that "it is also evidence of links between the Taliban and al-Qaeda elements on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border, which is of major importance for stability in both countries.

"In the account of Mr. Mohammed Hanif, a key Taliban spokesman arrested on 15 January, [a senior intelligence officer] stated that"we now know that Mullah Omar is under Pakistani protection"cable reported."

"" The India has learned that the former head of the Pakistan ISI was directly involved in providing assistance to the Taliban,"said cable."