‘No role for India in Afghanistan’: Abbasi

Pakistani Prime Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, has said that there was no role for India in Afghanistan — political or otherwise.

The statement has come from Pakistan weeks after US President Donald Trump sought more help from New Delhi to bring peace and stability in the war-torn country.

When the journalists asked whether India had a role in Afghanistan, Abbasi responded in the negative and said India had “Zero” role.

“We don’t foresee any political or military role for India in Afghanistan. I think it will just complicate the situation and it will not resolve anything. So if they want to do economic assistance, that’s their prerogative, but we don’t accept or see any role politically or militarily for India in Afghanistan,” Abbasi said on Saturday.

Trump, while announcing his new Afghan and South Asia policy last month, had criticised Pakistan for harbouring terrorists. He had also called on India to help the US more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.

“Do you see a business role for them in Afghanistan as investors?” he was asked.

“That’s up to them. All countries have the right to trade with each other, invest in other countries. So if they want to do that and India has invested in Afghanistan in the past,” Abbasi said.