Kabul:
The International Conference on Afghanistan gets underway in Kabul today. The meeting is the largest gathering of foreign leaders in the war-torn nation since the 1970s.
The conference, which will be attended by nearly 60 world leaders including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will discuss Afghanistan's future and chart out security and development needs of the country.
(Read: Afghan peace process to shun Taliban with Al-Qaida)
President Hamid Karzai will essentially unveil the roadmap for better governance in the country. But particularly from India's point of view, the crucial point of this conference will be what he will say on peace and security.
Foreign Minister SM Krishna is representing India at the meeting that will also outline President Karzai's plan for reintegrating the Taliban into the mainstream.
Sources have told NDTV that India is happy with the draft communiqué of the conference but it still has major worries about negotiations with Pakistan-backed Taliban groups.
Sources also said that the draft talks about the re-integration of Taliban fighters on a case-by-case basis, and not what Pakistan has been pushing for, which is the complete blanket re-integration of the Taliban.
There has been speculation that Pakistan has brokered a meeting between the Haqqanis, considered the deadliest faction of the Taliban operating against Indian interests in Afghanistan, and President Karzai. So while Pakistan is pushing for their role in some kind of power-sharing arrangement, the Indian side is watching wearily to see where this will go.
Sources say India will essentially convey these concerns to other countries as well at today's meeting.
The meeting takes place amid a spurt in suicide bombings and attacks by Taliban on US-led NATO forces, which suffered the deadliest single month in June when 79 soldiers died.
The conference is a follow-up to a London summit in January, when donors pledged $160 million for
Afghanistan's plans to re-integrate and create jobs for Taliban fighters who renounce violence.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan has assured India that it will take all possible steps to ensure the safety and security of its citizens who are engaged in development work in the country.
On its part, India expressed full support for President Hamid Karzai's efforts to usher in peace, stability and development in Afghanistan.
The message was conveyed by Krishna during a 45-minute meeting with Karzai at the fortified Presidential Palace in Kabul on Monday.
"The meeting was very useful and cordial," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said, adding that during the meeting, the two sides conducted extensive exchange of views on bilateral ties and issues of common interests.
Later, Krishna met Afghan National Security Adviser Dr Rangin Dadfar Spanta and sensitised him about the security challenges faced by Indians in Afghanistan, sources said.
Spanta assured Krishna that the Afghan government will take all possible steps to ensure the security of "Indian guests", who are playing an important role in the country's capacity building, the sources said.
Seven Indians were killed on February 26 when Taliban attackers stormed guest houses frequented by Indians in central Kabul.
The Indian Embassy in Kabul was attacked twice by the Taliban in July 2008 and in October 2009. Notwithstanding the attacks, India has been maintaining that it will continue to carry out development work in Afghanistan.