Afghan President Hamid Karzai is scheduled to visit India Monday for talks expected to focus on the security of Indians working in his strife-torn country, dpa reported.
The visit comes two months after seven Indians were killed in a Taliban suicide attack in Kabul which left 16 dead.
Karzai is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and is expected to call on President Pratibha Patil during his 24-hour visit.
He plans to travel to Bhutan on Tuesday for a summit of leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
"The visit provides an opportunity for both sides to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and for India to express its firm commitment and support to the government and people of Afghanistan," India's Foreign Ministry said.
India has pledged 1.3 billion dollars for reconstruction activities in Afghanistan. More than 3,500 Indians are engaged in building roads, bridges, power transmission lines and the new Afghan parliament building.
Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna informed parliament Wednesday that 17 Indians had been killed in Afghanistan since 2008.
Krishna said despite the attacks, India had no plans to scale down its reconstruction activities. He said the security of Indian nationals in Afghanistan had been enhanced.
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