New Delhi: Hailing the elections in
Afghanistan, India onSaturday said it is confident the exercise
will strengthen "democracy and pluralism" in the war-ravaged
country.
"The Afghan Presidential and Provincial Council
elections held on August 20 were one of the largest democratic
exercises in the history of Afghanistan," External Affairs
Minister SM Krishna said.
As a fellow developing country and democracy, India
"remains strongly supportive" of the election process and
democratic institutions of Afghanistan, he said.
"We are confident that the current elections will
strengthen democracy and pluralism in Afghanistan. As a
long-standing friend of the Afghan people, and a fellow member
of SAARC, it is gratifying to see the democratic process
taking strong roots in Afghanistan," he said.
Krishna noted that candidates campaigned fearlessly
and new voters registered themselves in large numbers despite
the complex security environment and threat from terrorist
groups.
He also admired the "courage and determination" of the
Afghan voters and all the candidates for participating in the
election process "despite the intimidation and violence which
the opponents of democracy have subjected them to".
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, August 22, 2009, 15:43