Both Pakistan and India have role in Afghanistan: US

WASHINGTON: The United States believes that both India and Pakistan can play an important and constructive role in Afghanistan, the White House and the State Department say.

Earlier, US officials had assured Pakistan that while they recognise India’s reconstruction efforts and economic support to the Afghan government, Washington also appreciates Islamabad’s concern about involving India in military matters.

This echoed in a statement the White House issued on Monday afternoon on talks in New Delhi between US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The two leaders agreed to collaborate closely to as-sist the people of Afghanistan by identifying opportunities to leverage their relative strengths, experience and resources, the statement said.

“Our collaboration will focus on agricultural development and women’s empowerment, where Afghanistan’s needs are great,” the White House said.

The statement, however, ignored India’s desire for a greater role in training Afghan security forces and in the talks between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents.

The issue was raised again at a State Department briefing where an Indian journalist asked why India was never mentioned as a country that had a role in stabilising Afghanistan.

“We have talked to India regularly, repeatedly, in every high-level meeting about Afghanistan. We completely support India playing a constructive role in Afghanistan as part of our regional strategy,” said State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley while responding to the comments.

“We recognise that a number of countries in the region, including India, including Pakistan, including others, can play an important and constructive role in the advancement of Afghanistan. So we have not excluded India in any way, shape, or form,” he said in response to a question.

The US-India joint statement also emphasised this point, saying that both countries were committed to intensify consultation, cooperation and coordination to promote a stable, democratic, prosperous and independent Afghanistan.