BBC News with David Austin

On the first day of a visit of the Afghan President Hamid Karzai to India, the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said they've agreed a strategic partnership between the two countries. Mr Singh said his discussions with Mr Karzai were another example of the strong and broad-based partnership between India and Afghanistan. Our South Asia editor Shahzeb Jillani reports.

The strategic partnership signed by India and Afghanistan is being seen as a major step in deepening their friendly ties.

India is already one of Afghanistan's biggest donors, investing in roads, hospitals and energy projects. But under the new partnership, it's believed India would take on a greater role in helping train the Afghan national police.