With Pakistan in mind, India warns of interference in Afghanistan

NEW DELHI - With Pakistan trying to broker a deal between the Taliban and the Afghan government, India Thursday warned against “external integration” in the reintegration process, saying it would be detrimental for the future of a democratic and stable Afghanistan.

“External interference in the reintegration process would be detrimental both for its success and for the future of a democratic, stable, pluralistic and prosperous Afghanistan,” External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told the Rajya Sabha.

He was responding to a question by H.K. Dua, a nominated member of the house and a veteran journalist, on whether Pakistan Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani visited Kabul recently to push for inducting the Taliban in the Afghan government.

Against the backdrop of a Pakistan-backed move to accommodate an anti-India militant group called the Haqqani network in the emerging power structure in Afghanistan, Krishna again reminded the world community of certain “red lines” that should be scrupulously adhered to during the process of reintegration.

These redlines, Krishna said, meant that any integration process should be “Afghan-led and inclusive and transparent.”

The minister reiterated what he said at the July 20 international conference on the future of Afghanistan that any process of reintegration in Afghanistan should “only include those individuals who abjure violence, have no links with terrorist groups and are willing to accept the democratic and pluralistic values of the Afghan Constitution”.

“Government closely monitors developments in Afghanistan. The government is committed to taking all necessary steps to safeguard the nation’s interests,” he said when asked whether Pakistan’s alleged interference will impact India’s interests in Afghanistan.