By Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, KUNA,
New Delhi : In the backdrop of increased terror strikes in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai is arriving here later on Sunday on a state-visit on his way back from the two-day 15th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Colombo, which began on Saturday.
Karzai would hold wide-ranging talks on bilateral, regional and global issues with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday.
Terror attacks including the suicide attack on India’s Kabul mission, increase in Taliban-led violence and India’s assistance programme in Afghanistan were expected to dominate the agenda of the talks, a source in the Indian External Affairs Ministry told KUNA.
Both India and Afghanistan have pointed to the role of Pakistan’s ISI in the Kabul mission attack.
Pakistan, on Saturday, assured India that it would conduct a probe into New Delhi’s assertions when Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met Dr Singh on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit.
Karzai and Gilani were expected to discuss the issue today at their bilateral meeting at Colombo.
Addressing the SAARC summit yesterday, Karazi had said, “Terrorism is gaining a deeper grip in Pakistan… While existing on the absolute fringes of our tolerant and peace loving societies, terrorists in our region receive institutional nurturing and support.” According to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation there has been a 40 per cent increase in the infiltration of terrorists from the tribal belt of Pakistan into Afghanistan since the new Pakistani government stopped counter-insurgency operations against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and entered into negotiations with them.
The Afghan President will be given a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential House here Monday morning. Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta and National Security Advisor Zalmai Rassoul will accompany Karzai on this important visit to India, the source said.
Indian President Pratibha Patil will host a banquet for her Afghan counterpart tomorrow evening. Vice President Hamid Ansari, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) L K Advani are expected to call on the visiting dignitary, the source informed.
“Afghanistan is a close partner. We are committed to Afghanistan reconstruction programme. We will also combat terrorism jointly,” the source stressed.
India’s expanding partnership with Afghanistan covers virtually all sectors ranging from infrastructure to medical services and community-based small sectors. India already has given assistance worth 850 million usd to Afghanistan and has expressed readiness to contribute more.
India is Afghanistan’s fifth largest donor after the US, UK, Japan and Germany.
SAARC comprises India , Afghanistan , Pakistan , Nepal , Bhutan , Bangladesh , Sri Lanka and Maldives.