A day after signing a strategic partnership with India, Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought to put Islamabad at ease by stating that the pact is not directed against any country or any other entity.
The Afghan President also described Pakistan as Afghanistan’s “twin brother” while calling India a “great friend”, adding, “The agreement that we signed yesterday with our friend will not affect our brother”. He said the agreement is aimed at helping Afghanistan.
President Karzai’s asse-rtion comes at a time when Afghan-Pakistan tensions are growing with Afghan officials as well as President Karzai himself accusing Paki-stan of being behind the recent assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was the chief peace negotiator with the Taliban. Mr Karzai’s observation came in response to a question after he delivered the third R.K.Mishra Memor-ial Lecture, organised by the Observer Research Foundation. While the strategic pact covers a broad range of issues, the training of Afghan security forces is a significant aspect of this agreement.
External affairs minister S.M. Krishna, in his brief speech after the lecture, told the Afghan President that India “always would be happy to be guided by your choice and decisions and your comfort level”. He added that “it is for the people and the government of Afghanistan to take decisions for the future of your great nation without any outside prescription or interference”.
While the partnership is the first such agreement that Afghanistan has signed with any country, President Karzai said there was “nothing new” in it and that the two countries have been engaged in various aspects of the agreement for many years. Detailing the various ways in which New Delhi has helped Kabul, he remarked: “Afghans won’t forget this but remain forever grateful for what India has done.”