Afghanistan invites Indian investment

MUMBAI: Terming the business climate as conducive for investors, Afghanistan on Thursday urged the Indian business community to invest there and further enhance the traditional bilateral ties between the two countries.

Afghanistan has vast reserves of iron ore, thorium, gas, coal and other minerals and it was about time Indian business invest in the country, Afghanistan's newly-appointed Consul General in Mumbai, Mardani Ali Qasemi, said.

Countries such as China, Turkey and Iran were already doing business with Afghanistan, Qasemi said, adding, Indian business should invest in Afghanistan to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries.

Earlier, Qasemi called on Maharashtra Governor, S C Jamir at the Raj Bhavan here. Democracy has been restored in Afghanistan and 80 per cent of the country is completely peaceful, he said.

The Afghanistan Consul General also said that more than 3,000 students from his country were presently studying in India, with Pune alone accounting for around 800 students. The Afghan Government encourages students to study in India and even provides them scholarships for this purpose, he said.