Financial Times FT.com

War-torn nation caught in diplomatic crossfire

By Amy Kazmin in New Delhi

Published: October 9 2009 03:00 | Last updated: October 9 2009 03:00

In May, India gave the Afghan government a rather unusual gift - a newly built power transmission line to bring 24-hour electricity to Kabul, the capital.

The inauguration of the Indian-built Phul-e-khumri power line came only five months after completion of a 218km Indian-built highway linking the Afghan heartland to the Iranian border, essentially giving landlocked Afghanistan access to Iran's sea ports.

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