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India Slams Pakistan’s ‘Strategic Depth’ Policy in Afghanistan

© Photo : Twitter/ @SanjayVermalFSBriefing on Afghanistan at the UNSC under Indian presidency
Briefing on Afghanistan at the UNSC under Indian presidency - Sputnik India, 1920, 21.12.2022
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Critics of Pakistan's approach to its neighbor accuse Islamabad of interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs for strategic gains, pointing to Pakistan's support of the Taliban* before it regained power in Kabul last August.
The days when other countries used Afghanistan for their “strategic depth” are over, India’s senior diplomat Sanjay Verma said, criticizing Pakistan’s policy of treating its neighbour as a buffer zone to possibly gain strategic leverage over India.
Addressing the UN Security Council briefing on Afghanistan, Varma said that such a policy has only brought “misery” to Afghanistan till date.
The Indian diplomat underscored that his country has “direct stakes” in ensuring peace and stability return to Afghanistan, being its “contiguous neighbour” (Afghanistan borders Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which is not recognized by India).

India’s approach to Afghanistan has always been guided by “our historical friendship and our special relationship with the people of Afghanistan,” Verma addded.

What Are India's Priorities for Afghanistan?

Verma noted that New Delhi was “deeply concerned” about the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, which has been facing shortages of food and other essentials after the Biden administration cut off the country from its federal funds in US-based financial institutions.
Taliban security forces arrive at the site of an attack at Shahr-e-naw which is city's one of main commercial areas in Kabul on December 12, 2022. - Sputnik India, 1920, 14.12.2022
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Since last August, India has supplied around 40,000 metric tonnes of wheat and 45 tonnes of medicines to mneighboring Afghanistan, all of which has been delivered through humanitarian agencies.

Apart from humanitarian relief, India's other priorities for Afghanistan include the formation of a “truly inclusive and representative government”, combatting terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as respect for the rights of women and minorities in the country.

Verma underlined that India has consistently urged the Taliban not to allow the Afghan soil to be used for “sheltering, training, planning, or financing terrorist acts”, which the Taliban vowed to ensure when signing the peace deal with the Trump administration in Doha in February 2020.
In particular, Verma highlighted the increased acitivities of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)** and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)**, both involved in terrorist attacks against India in recent years, in his address.
“Peace and stability in Afghanistan are critical imperatives that all of us need to collectively strive for. India will continue to play its role in pursuit of this objective. The interests of the Afghan people will always continue to be at the core of our efforts today and always,” the Indian diplomat concluded.
* under UN sanctions
** banned in Russia
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