Afghan President Hamid Karzai was in New Delhi in mid-December, holding talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a time of looming transition in Afghanistan. He once again pressed for stepped-up aid — both civilian and military including lethal and nonlethal weapons — a demand that he also made during his last visit, only to be rebuffed by New Delhi.
This time, however, the response was slightly more positive with the government indicating that "the demand was being considered taking into account various factors including two major issues — our ability to supply based on our surpluses and licensing from other countries, such as if India is to supply a Russian tank, it would require the permission and license from Russia to do so." Karzai also appraised New Delhi about Afghanistan's negotiations on the Bilateral Security Agreement with the United States; the peace process with the Taliban and the broader transition process.
This visit came at a time when the final passage of the long-term U.S.-Afghan security pact, as part of which the U.S. could keep up to 15,000 troops in Afghanistan after 2014 focused largely on counter-terrorism and training of Afghan forces, is in turmoil. The on-again, off-again security pact between the U.S. and Afghanistan has been mired in differences between Washington and Karzai with both indulging in brinkmanship.