Backing Kabul’s peace plan to reconcile with Taliban-led insurgents, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday urged Afghanistan to shake off outside “coercion”, while at the same time seeking to boost India’s waning influence.
Singh’s strong words to a session of the Afghan parliament come at the end of a two-day visit to Kabul aimed at renewing Indian ties with Afghanistan, where New Delhi has been jockeying for influence to counter Pakistan.
“It is up to you, as the peoples’ representatives, to make decisions about your country’s future without outside interference or coercion,” Singh told the session, attended by Afghan President Hamid Karzai. In moves likely to irritate Pakistan, Singh earlier pledged $500 million for development projects in Afghanistan, taking what he said was the total amount of Indian aid over the next two years to $2 billion.
“Afghanistan has embarked upon a process of national reconciliation. We wish you well in this enterprise,” Singh said. He reiterated New Delhi’s first public backing of an Afghan peace plan a day earlier. The US on Friday welcomed India’s boost in assistance to Afghanistan and called New Delhi a regional leader, despite expected concerns in Pakistan over the aid.
