New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) The Afghan territory should not be used for training and sheltering terrorists, including those belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), India’s Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri said on Friday, asserting that any instability in Afghanistan is a threat to the entire region.
Misri’s reference to the two Pakistan-based terrorist outfits in an address at a conclave in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, came against the backdrop of New Delhi’s apprehensions over the possibility of the LeT and the JeM using Afghan soil to launch attacks on India.
India’s immediate priorities for Afghanistan include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring the formation of a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking and preserving the rights of women, children and the minorities, Misri said.
India is yet to recognise the Taliban set up in Afghanistan and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul.
Misri also invited the Central Asian countries to utilise the Chabahar port as well as the Shaheed Bahesti terminal at the port for maritime trade with India and other countries. He also called for the inclusion of the Chabahar port within the framework of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and making this a “reality”.
The INSTC is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode transport project for moving freight among India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
Misri said it is equally important to create economic opportunities, empower the people to be self-reliant and self-sufficient, and re-build Afghanistan’s economy.
To this end, India has continued its trade relations with Afghanistan.
Tariff concessions under the SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area) continue to be provided to Afghan traders.
Misri said a “humanitarian air corridor” between Delhi and Kabul has been created.
The deputy NSA said New Delhi has been “consistent and steadfast” with its policy in support of peace, security and stability in Afghanistan.
As a contiguous neighbour, India has legitimate economic and security interests in Afghanistan, he said.
Misri also described drug trafficking as a serious menace for the region and noted that recent seizures of large shipments of drugs are a worrisome trend.
In his address at the sixth regional dialogue of secretaries of security councils and NSAs on Afghanistan, Misri said India is partnering with the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to provide humanitarian assistance, especially to women who are benefiting from drug rehabilitation programmes in the troubled country.
Under this partnership, India has supplied 11,000 units of hygiene kits, baby-food kits, blankets, medical aid etc. to the UNODC in Kabul, he said.
The regional security dialogue on Afghanistan comprises the secretaries and NSAs of Iran, India, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China, Turkmenistan and Pakistan.
India hosted the third regional security dialogue on Afghanistan in New Delhi in November 2021.
On terrorism, Misri said India’s collective approach has been articulated in the UN Security Council Resolution 2593.
He emphasised that the Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts, specifically, terrorist individuals proscribed by the UN Security Council, including those belonging to the LeT and JeM.
It is well established that any instability in Afghanistan is a threat to the entire region, he said.
Misri said India’s ties with the Afghan people date back centuries and are historic and civilisational. PTI MPB RC
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