By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Viewing the Kabul embassy bombing as an attack on Indo-Afghan friendship, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asserted that an undeterred India will continue reconstruction tasks in Afghanistan for which he announced a fresh aid of 450 million US dollars.
The two countries decided to work “unitedly and with firm determination” to defeat terrorism as Singh held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai with particular focus being on ways to deal with the menace that is posing “serious threat” to the security and stability of the two nations.
During the 90-minute meeting on Monday, the two leaders discussed the July 7 suicide attack on Indian embassy in Kabul, for which both the countries have blamed Pakistan’s ISI, and security of Indian assets and nationals in Afghanistan.
The Kabul bombing was “an attack on the friendship between India and Afghanistan,” Singh said addressing the media persons along with Karzai after the talks.
Noting that the talks took place against the “backdrop of serious threat posed by terrorism to security and stability of Afghanistan, India and the region”, he said two leaders agreed to fight the menace “unitedly and with firm determination”.
Observing that Karzai’s visit was taking place at a “critical juncture” in India, Afghanistan and the region, Singh said India and Afghanistan will not allow terrorism to stand in the way of boosting their friendly relations.