Afghanistan:

Security, stabilisation of Afghanistan distant dream: India

PTI
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AP/United NationsA file photo of Hardeep Singh Puri.

India has said that security and stabilisation of Afghanistan will remain a distant dream unless the “syndicate of terrorism” which includes LeT and Taliban is rooted out from both inside and outside the war-torn country.

Addressing a special meeting of the UN Security Council on Afghanistan, India’s Ambassador to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri also said Afghanistan’s stability and economic development depend a lot on its neighbours and the region as a whole.

“Security and stabilisation of Afghanistan will remain a distant goal unless we are able to isolate and root out the syndicate of terrorism, which includes elements of al Qaeda, Taliban, LeT and other terrorist and extremist groups operating from within and outside Afghanistan’s borders,” he said.

The UN envoy was apparently referring to terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan.
He said India supports efforts by the Afghan Government to reintegrate those individuals who abjure violence, give up armed struggle, do not have links with terrorist groups, and are willing to abide by the values of democracy, pluralism and human rights as enshrined in the Afghan Constitution.

He said as the U.S.-led coalition forces prepares to gradually withdraw from Afghanistan, there is a need for adequate capacity building of Afghan security forces, along with adequate enablers, prior to the transition of security responsibility to them.

“The necessity of dealing with the terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens beyond Afghanistan borders is equally important in this context. Adequate capacity of the Afghan security forces and other Afghan institutions is a ’sine qua non’ for protecting Afghanistan’s sovereignty, plurality and democracy,” he said.
Mr. Puri said the international community must bear in mind the lessons learnt from past experiences at negotiating with fundamentalist and extremist organisations and ensure that the process must remain “Afghan-led, inclusive and transparent.”

“As we discuss today, though we appreciate the gains made in southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand against Taliban strongholds, it is worrisome that deterioration in the security environment, especially in the North has been a continuous trend this year.

“The UNSG report notes that there has been a 66 per cent increase in security incidents in Afghanistan as compared to the same period in 2009,” he said.

“We have sought to assist Afghanistan within our means. Our $1.3 billion assistance programme is aimed at building infrastructure, capacity building in critical areas of governance, health, education, agriculture etc and in generating Afghan capacity and employment,” he said.


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