New Delhi: Afghanistan is committed to
providing full security to Indians in that country, visiting President
Hamid Karzai assured Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday.
The assurance came against the backdrop of New Delhi`s
serious concerns over Taliban and extremist elements targeting
Indians engaged in reconstruction work in the war-ravaged
country.
Meeting for the first time after the February 26 terror
attack in Kabul in which nine Indians were killed, Singh
affirmed that India remains committed to assisting the
government and people of Afghanistan in their efforts towards
the reconstruction and development of that country.
Singh stated that India desired to see a strong, stable
and prosperous Afghanistan, a joint statement issued after
wide-ranging discussions he had with Karzai, said.
The two leaders voiced their grave concern over the
threat posed by terrorism to Afghanistan`s national
development efforts.
The two sides expressed their determination to work with
the international community to combat the forces of terrorism
which pose a particular threat to the region.
Conveying his outrage over the terrorist attacks on
Indian nationals in Afghanistan, Karzai assured the Indian
side that the "Government of Afghanistan is committed to
providing full security to them. The Indian side welcomed
these assurances,” the statement said.
"President Karzai assured me that the government of
Afghanistan will take all possible measures for the security
of Indians in Afghanistan," Singh said after his wide-ranging
discussions with Karzai.
"We were of the view that the attacks of February 26,
2010, in Kabul were the handiwork of those who do not wish to
see the emergence of a strong, independent and pluralistic
Afghanistan," he said.
Terrorists struck on February 26 at two hotels in
Kabul, which were home to Indians engaged in developmental
projects, killing nine of them and injuring 10 others.
New Delhi has conveyed its serious concerns over the
spate of attacks by Taliban and extremist elements on Indians
working for the reconstruction of the war-torn Afghanistan.
Singh said he had conveyed to Karzai that the
perpetrators of such attacks would not succeed in undermining
India`s commitment to assist the Afghan people.
Profusely thanking the Indian leadership for the
sustained assistance, Karzai, who is on a day`s visit, said
India has shown to be a strong partner of Afghanistan.
Karzai, who will join Singh at the SAARC summit in
Bhutan on April 28-29, said they discussed the situation
in Afghanistan, in the region, and their common struggle with
terrorism and extremism.
PTI
