Afghan-India pact won’t affect Pakistan

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said the recent strategic partnership agreement between India and Afghanistan would not have any effect on Pakistan. Afghanistan and India Tuesday struck the strategic partnership agreement, which allows India to impart training and equip the Afghan armed forces, during Afghan President Hamid Karzai's visit to New Delhi. Afghanistan has refused Pakistan's offer to train the Afghan army and Pakistani security analysts have shown concern over this provision in the Afghan-India Strategic Partnership Agreement. Talking to media in Islamabad Khar said Pakistan, India and Afghanistan understand the present situation and will face the challenges together. She said Pakistan wanted to remove the trust deficit among neighboring countries. She said that a better relationship between Pakistan and India needed. Khar said the international community recognized the sacrifices and the role Pakistan played in the Afghan peace process. She said that Pakistan and Afghanistan have confidence deficit and efforts are being made to improve the relationship. “If Afghanistan is secure then Pakistan is secure,” she stated. Earlier Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani dispelled the impression that the strategic partnership agreement signed by Afghanistan and India would have any adverse impact on Pakistan. 'Both (Afghanistan and Pakistan) are sovereign countries, they have the right to do whatever they want to,' Gilani told reporters in Islamabad when asked about the agreement signed by the two countries. When asked whether the Afghan-India agreement would have any negative impact on Pakistan, Gilani said, 'No, I don't think so. We are all in the same region and... We want to work together for peace and prosperity in the region. I think we should work together.' To another question if the reconciliation process with the Afghan Taliban is dead following killing of peace envoy, Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani, Gilani said, 'Karzai said something else with me. In my view, he is of the view that there should be a meeting between me and himvery soon.' He avoided giving more details.