The Hindu : National : Indian help to Afghanistan is not directed against any country: Antony

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Indian help to Afghanistan is not directed against any country: Antony

Special Correspondent

“They are in difficulty, so as a friend, India is trying to help”

Antony's assertion an apparent attempt to assuage Pakistan's concerns
India, Pakistan to continue Siachen talks in Islamabad

NEW DELHI: Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Friday emphasised that while India is willing to extend more training facilities to the armed forces of Afghanistan and greater support to its government, such assistance is not directed against any other country.

“India is a long-standing friend of Afghanistan…we want a strong, democratic and pluralistic, peaceful Afghanistan. They are in transition, they are in difficulty, so as a friend, India is trying to help them…we promised to extend them more training facilities for their armed forces…as per their requirement and whatever help India is extending is not against any other country,” Mr. Antony told journalists on the sidelines of a defence function here.

The Defence Minister's response came in the context of the recent visit of Afghan Defence Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak. Mr. Antony's assertion that New Delhi-Kabul relations were not directed against any country was an apparent attempt to assuage Pakistan's concerns as it views the bilateral engagement with suspicion.

While India has preferred to state that it provides training to Afghan security forces, it has not commented on suggestions from Kabul on the possible supply of military equipment and made no mention of it at the end of the Defence Minister-level delegation talks here last week.

“Complicated issue”

On the talks with Pakistan on demilitarisation of Siachen glacier that concluded on Tuesday, Mr. Antony characterised it as “a very complicated issue” and felt that both sides needed more time to study the subject.

He said that while the discussions with the Pakistani delegation were free and frank and held in a cordial atmosphere, both sides were unable to come to any conclusion and so they decided to continue the parleys in Islamabad at a mutually convenient date and time.

Ballistic missile defence

Earlier in his address at the function, Mr. Antony said the Defence Research Development Organisation must demonstrate the capability to develop missiles of the range of 5,000 km at the earliest.

While acknowledging that the successful test of the interceptor missile development programme had taken the country to an elite club, he felt the premier research organisation should now work towards a credible ballistic missile defence.

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