Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday pledged not to allow terrorism come in the way of India's "abiding commitment to Afghanistan's efforts to build a democratic, pluralistic and stable polity", the Hindu reported Tuesday.
He announced the allocation of an additional 450 million U.S. dollars in assistance to Afghanistan.
The announcement came after discussions with visiting Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Monday.
Describing the July 7 terrorist attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul as an attack on the friendship between India and Afghanistan, Singh said terrorism had no barriers and was not bound by any restraints.
The additional aid, coming on top of the existing commitments totaling 750 million U.S. dollars, will push the quantum of New Delhi's assistance to Kabul above 1 billion U.S. dollars.
Singh expressed India's willingness to host a meeting of the Joint Coordination Monitoring Board (JCMB), the multilateral body that oversees and harmonizes the efforts of countries contributing financially and militarily for restoration of peace in Afghanistan.
Other members of the JCMB include the United States, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Japan, Germany and the U.K.
In a statement, Karzai said India and Afghanistan together faced the "challenges of terrorism, of cold-blooded, brutal murderous activity" and that the two countries had no option "but to be united in fighting the menace."
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article