Blamed by Afghanistan, Pak cosies up to India

London/Kabul: Afghanistan has once again blamed Pakistan for the Indian embassy attack in Kabul. But former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif told CNN-IBN his country is keen on good relations with India.

“I think Pakistan is very sincere in its desire to have good relations with India. And our coalition, with People's Party with Asif Zardari, are pursuing this path,” he says.

Sharif also said the allegations made by the Afghanistan government - Afghan President Hamid Karzai had said earlier, "The murder, killing, destruction, dishonouring and insecurity in Afghanistan is carried out by the intelligence administration of Pakistan, its military intelligence institutions” - are baseless.

Afghan presidential spokesman, Humayun Hamidzada also says, "These attacks are definite linked to the military agencies of Pakistan."

Independent groups have backed the official Afghan view. “We see increasing involvement of Pakistan in the conflict developing in Pakistan. There are significant parts of Pakistan that are supportive of Taliban and al-Qaeda, and they are a part of the problem,” said Norine MacDonald of the Senlis Council.

The groups have been warning for some time that Indians are increasingly being made a target, partly because of their popularity in Afghanistan.

“It's a very difficult climate for India to operate in the south, but certainly when we are talking to locals they would welcome a larger influence in Afghanistan from India, and they particularly want business opportunities with India which Afghanistan so desperately needs so desperately to build their economy and get employment for their young men,” says MacDonald.

But as India readies to intensify its engagement in the region, it's clear New Delhi will have to ramp up its security infrastructure there as well.

(With Sanjay Suri and VK Shashikumar)

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#kabul blasts #indo-pak ties #nawaz sharif