US Dismisses Pak’s Allegations on Indian Presence in Afghanistan

Dismissing Pakistan’s allegations describing India’s developmental efforts in Afghanistan as a security threat to it, the Obama Administration has said that a stable and more prosperous Afghanistan will only contribute to regional stability.

Ian Kelly, State Department spokesman, wondered how helping Afghanistan develop its economy and its infrastructure could be seen as a security threat to any other country in the region.

He said that a stable and more prosperous Afghanistan, on the contrary, is only going to contribute to regional stability. He was responding to a query about Pakistan’s allegation that the massive developmental efforts currently being undertaken by India poses a security threat to it.

India is one of the largest donors to Afghanistan post-Taliban. It is not only involved in some of the massive developmental projects currently being undertaken in Afghanistan, but also has contributed aides to the amount of more than USD 1.3 billion.

“I think, you know, the main thing is that we all conduct this in full transparency, that any side that is contributing towards the reconstruction of Afghanistan, that we do so in a cooperative way, we share as much information as possible,” Kelly said.