Former Afghan President Karzai endorses India's Balochistan stance

Kandahar : After getting a backing from Bangladesh, the Indian stance regarding Balochistan is being backed by Afghanistan as well. The former President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai has asserted that the Indian stance in respect of Balochistan is correct. Karzai has also expressed hope that India will provide greater assistance to enhance the capability of Afghanistan’s security forces, train them and supply arms as well.

The Indian Prime Minister had raised the issue of Pakistan’s atrocities in Balochistan and PoK. This has evoked a strong response from the Baluch leaders and with slogans of ‘Jai Hind’, the Baluch leaders have urged India to free Balochistan like Bangladesh. Moreover, Baluch ladies have sent ‘rakhis’ to the Indian Prime Minister Modi on the occasion of ‘Raksha Bandhan’. The Information Minister of Bangladesh, on his visit to India, has also supported Modi’s stance about Balochistan. The Information Minister Inu has said that constitutionally Bangladesh is committed to help the Baluch population and that his country would soon announce its policy in this respect.

After this, the former Afghan President Hameed Karzai has asserted that the Indian stance about Balochistan is correct. He has claimed that for Afghanistan, Balochistan is a geographically close neighbour and the problems of its population are no different from those of Afghanistan. Balochistan’s development and stability will have a positive influence on India and Afghanistan, while the instability and fundamentalism here, produces an adverse effect on Afghanistan. Karzai has indicated that for Afghanistan, Balochistan has strategic importance and with Modi raising the Balochistan issue, major upheavals are expected in this area.

In the meantime, Karzai has expressed hope that India will supply arms and training on a larger scale to Afghanistan. He further said that India knows the capability and the condition of the Afghan security forces and can make a significant contribution by supplying military equipment and training to the Afghan security personnel. Few weeks ago, India had supplied 4 fighter helicopters to the Afghan security forces. The US defense chief in Afghanistan, General Nicholson had informed during his India visit that the Afghan forces had immediately started using these fighter helicopters against terrorists.