February 15, 2014
KANDAHAR: President Hamid Karzai on Saturday allayed India's concerns over the uncertainty in Afghanistan ahead of the international troop pullout saying he is not against a "limited" presence of international forces in the country.
February 15, 2014
KANDAHAR: President Hamid Karzai on Saturday allayed India's concerns over the uncertainty in Afghanistan ahead of the international troop pullout saying he is not against a "limited" presence of international forces in the country.
Foreign minister Salman Khurshid and Afghanisthan President Hamid Karzai during the inauguration ceremony of the Afghan National Agriculture Science and Technology University in Kandahar province south of Kabul on Saturday.
Karzai flew down to Kandahar for the inauguration of an agricultural university built with Indian assistance worth close to $2-million. He inaugurated the university jointly with Indian foreign minister Salman Khurshid.
This was also the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Kandahar since Jaswant Singh ferried 3 terrorists, including Maulana Masood Azhar, to the once notorious stronghold of al Qaeda and Taliban to free passengers of IC-814 in 1999.
Afghanistan National Agricultural Sciences and Technology University in Kandahar exemplified India-Afghanistan strategic partnership, said India's envoy to Afghanistan Amar Sinha. The university is located in the middle of Tarnak farms, once Osama bin Laden's main hideout in the war-ravaged country.
Karzai also met Khurshid separately to discuss security related issues including his reluctance to sign with the US a bilateral security agreement which is important for ensuring a residual presence of US troops.
"I'm not against a limited presence of of Nato troops but this presence must become a source of support for Afghanistan," Karzai told TOI after the meeting. He added that for that to happen Afghanistan needed support of both US and Pakistan.
Khurshid later said that India wanted some international forces to stay back in Afghanistan but added that Karzai had made a "careful calculation" in not signing the agreement with the US at this stage. He also appreciated the role of Afghan security forces in ensuring peace in the country.
On recent reports that he had clandestinely opened his own channel of communication with Afghan Taliban, Karzai said it was important to find "all opportunities for engagement".
Khurshid praised Karzai for his efforts to establish a genuine Afghan owned, Afghan led and Afghan controlled reconciliation process in Afghanistan. “To offer a chance to members of armed opposition groups willing to give up terror and abide by the Afghan Constitution, the possibility of participating as equal citizens in Afghanistan's national life,'' he said.
While Karzai has repeatedly demanded more military assistance, including lethal equipment, from India without much success, he expressed satisfaction over help received from India. “We are very satisfied because India, despite traditionally not being a donor country, has gone beyond its means to help Afghanistan,'' he said. While India is yet to make up its mind to what extent it can go to provide military assistance to Kabul, Khurshid reiterated India's commitment to provide 3 military transport choppers to Afghanistan.
Khurshid called upon international community to fulfil its pledges to rebuild the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police. He said the main threat to Afghanistan's security and its internal stability is terrorism and extremism that continues to target the people of Afghanistan. “We too have been facing this threat for many years, and understand the importance in times like these of friends and strategic partners forging the closest of cooperation to defeat this evil scourge,'' he said.
Courtesy: PTI
