Afghan President Karzai to visit India next week

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is to arrive in India next week for a three-day visit, sources said. During his visit from May 20 to 23, President Karzai will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the national capital and issues like security and arms supplies to maintain peace in troubled-torn Afghanistan would be on their agenda, they said. The Afghan President will also travel to the northern state of Punjab to receive an honorary doctorate from Lovely Professional University, a private varsity in the town of Jalandhar, which is to be conferred on him by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, the sources added. India has presence in Afghanistan. It provides humanitarian assistance in terms of sending biscuits and wheat, as well as facilitating infrastructure construction like the Salma Dam and the Afghan Parliament Building. From XINHUA