New Delhi: Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday said that India is not looking at any military presence in Afghanistan in the “near time frame”.
General Dwivedi said, “The emotional connect between India and Afghanistan is always high and it will remain so. But as far as military presence as of now is concerned, we are not looking at any military presence in Afghanistan in the near time frame”.
The Army chief’s reply came on a question during his annual press conference here on whether India was planning to establish any military relations with Afghanistan .
It may be mentioned that last week, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had a meeting with the Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai. The two sides discussed various issues relating to bilateral relations as well as regional developments.
Both sides evaluated the ongoing Indian humanitarian assistance programmes and also “agreed to facilitate visas and trade”.
India on Monday strongly condemned the cross-border airstrikes by Pakistan in Afghanistan’s Paktika province in which 46 civilians were killed, and slammed Islamabad for its “practice” of blaming neighbours for its own failures.
Moreover, on January 6, the Ministry of External Affairs had also condemned the December 25 airstrikes conducted by Pakistan into Afghan territory.
The MEA in a statement said, “We have noted the media reports on airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several precious lives have been lost. We unequivocally condemn any attack on innocent civilians”. UNI
