India wary of external actors in Afghanistan

New Delhi to continue aid: Krishna

Even as it expressed concern over terror threats to Indian missions in Afghanistan, New Delhi on Sunday all but took on Islamabad saying “external” interference in the transition process of Afghanistan will be detrimental to the war-torn country.Answering questions after meeting his Afghan counterpart Zalmay Rassoul, external affairs minister S M Krishna remarked: “Any external interference in the reintegration process will be detrimental to its success and for the future of a democratic, stable, pluralistic and prosperous Afghanistan”.

Agreeing with Krishna, the Afghan minister said the “peace process cannot succeed without being led by the Afghan people and the process fully controlled by it”. He said the two sides also discussed the issue of Taliban and the need to deal firmly with terrorist groups that continue to enter from outside Afghanistan borders.

Krishna, who called on Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai as well as chairman of the Afghan Peace Council Burhanuddin Rabbani at the end of his two-day visit, however, refrained from mentioning Pakistan in his reply. The message was clearly aimed at Pakistan which wants to have a greater role in the Afghan transition process.

Krishna said India has always supported long-term peace in Afghanistan if terror groups were ready to abjure violence, adhere to democracy and Afghanistan constitution, respect human rights and not have links with terrorist groups.

The Peace Council was set up last year to work for a negotiated peaceful end to the nine-year war with Taliban and other groups.

Krishna, who also conveyed India’s concerns over security to Indian missions here to Karzai, said: “India is not going to be cowed down by such threats. We will continue to remain in Afghanistan as long as the legitimately elected government of Afghanistan wants us to”.

On threat to Afghanistan from across its border, Krishna added: “it is a concern for India. We are confident that the Afghan government will be able to provide security to Indian people and missions. Without security concerns, the developmental assistance from India can move smoothly and will be beneficial to Afghanistan”.

Krishna asserted that despite security concerns, India will continue to provide developmental assistance and noted that the Afghanistan government has assured India of full security.

Noting that he and Rassoul discussed strategic partnerships, Krishna said he told the Afghan minister that India was committed to rebuilding of Afghanistan and added that it would assist in capacity building, human resource development etc. Also discussed were mining projects about which some Indian companies have shown interest, Rassoul added.

Krishna said a course in Pashtun and Dari languages would be offered at Jawaharlal Nehru Union in Delhi and said that India would send one lakh tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan.