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India Calls for Regional Cooperation on Terrorism

13 May 2011 02:50 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said the recent killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan provides a â€œunique moment in the history of the regionâ€ to work toward peace, APA reports quoting voanews.com website.

During a visit Thursday to Afghanistan where he met with President Hamid Karzai, Mr. Singh urged India, Pakistan and Afghanistan to work together to end the scourge of terrorism.

He said India strongly supports the Afghan people’s quest for peace and reconciliation and announced $500 million in new aid to Afghanistan. The amount is in addition to the more than $1.3 billion India has already pledged to help Kabul rebuild its parliament, highways, hospitals and energy grid.

The Indian leader also called for a probe into how the world’s most wanted terrorist could live undetected for years in a military garrison city close to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. He said this has increased suspicions in Kabul and New Delhi that Islamabad supports terrorists targeting the Indian and Afghan governments.

When asked whether the killing of bin Laden might be the catalyst for a more speedy withdrawal of coalition forces from Afghanistan, Mr. Karzai said he believes the international community will remain involved in his country. But he urged the world to recognize that the war on terror is not in Afghan homes.

Mr. Singh also said India supports Kabul’s efforts to seek reconciliation with elements of the Taliban in order to bring the Afghan war to a close.

Prime Minister Singh last traveled to Afghanistan in 2005, while the Afghan leader has made several visits to New Delhi, the most recent in February of this year.

Both India and Pakistan have sought to secure influence in Afghanistan, and their efforts in this direction have increased since the United States announced a gradual withdrawal of its troops from the country starting later this year.