Pakistan has no objection to India, Afghanistan ties: Qureshi

Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Apr 2 (PTI) Pakistan has conveyed its concerns
to the US over India's growing presence in Afghanistan, and
made it clear that New Delhi cannot have the same stakes in
the war-ravaged country as Islamabad, Foreign Minister Shah
Mehmood Qureshi has said.

Qureshi made the remarks while briefing the Senate or
upper house of parliament last night on the recent strategic
dialogue between the US and Pakistan.
The US has recognised Pakistan's legitimate concerns
about its interests in Afghanistan, which need to be
addressed, he said.
He said India's relations with Afghanistan are long-
standing and both countries have a right to have relations.
"But there is a qualified difference. India cannot match
Pakistan in its relations with Afghanistan, because India does
not share a border with Afghanistan and its role during the
Soviet occupation of Afghanistan is clear to everybody," he
said.
"The price which Pakistan has paid due to instability in
Afghanistan, India did not even suffer a fraction of it," he
said.
If India tries to affect Pakistan-Afghanistan relations,
it is a cause of concern, Qureshi said.
"We have also conveyed these concerns to the US. Our
apprehensions are legitimate and we informed them that these
legitimate concerns need to be addressed," he said.
The US has shown seriousness in cooperating with Pakistan
and realised that Islamabad's grievances regarding the Indian
presence in Afghanistan "should be addressed," he added.
The US also realised that if it did not meet Pakistan's
security and economic needs, its own agenda for achieving
stability in Afghanistan will be affected, he said.
"They realised for the first time that Pakistan has
genuine security needs. Economic development is a must for
stability and to fight insurgency," Qureshi said.
Three million Afghan refugees are living in Pakistan and
hundreds of thousands of students are studying in the country,
he said.
Islamabad's desire to have strategic depth should not be
misunderstood for a desire to have a "puppet regime" in Kabul,
Qureshi said.
Pakistan only wants a "friendly government" in
Afghanistan as political and economic destinies of the two
countries are interlinked, he said.
During the strategic dialogue, Pakistan conveyed the
challenges it is confronting because of its involvement in the
war on terror and the urgent need for aid. (MORE) PTI RHL
AHM



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