By IANS,
Kabul/New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao Friday visited the Indian embassy in Afghanistan, which was the target of a suicide attack Thursdar that left 17 people dead. She, however, refrained from pointing fingers at Pakistan.
“I think the investigation should be completed,” Rao told reporters in Kabul when asked if Pakistan was behind the attack.
Afghanistan authorities had, however, Thursday indicated that the attack was planned from “across the border”, referring to its southern neighbour, Pakistan.
“Whoever is responsible for this attack is against peace, is against democracy, is against people of Afghanistan and against the people of India,” said Rao, who reached Kabul early morning.
Barring three Indian paramilitary personnel who were injured, all the other casualties in Thursday’s attack were Afghans. The dead included two Afghan police officers and 15 civilian visa seekers.
Rao reviewed security arrangements for the mission and inspected the damage after the blast.
This is the second time that the Indian embassy here has been targeted. Last year, a car bomb attack left 56 people dead, including two Indian embassy officials. Indian and American intelligence officials believe that Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, had masterminded the 2008 attack.
After visiting the embassy, Rao met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta.
During the meeting, Karzai assured India’s top diplomat that there will be thorough investigations into the bomb blast.
Rao will return to New Delhi Saturday morning.
The explosion, the fifth suicide strike in Kabul in two months, was heard across a large area. Scores of people outside the embassy fell bleeding and others ran for cover crying for help. It left a large crater in the ground outside the embassy.
The deafening blast at 8.27 a.m. extensively damaged the embassy’s fortified outer wall and blew off windows and doors of the building.
India has a large development and reconstruction programme in Afghanistan, amounting to $1.2 billion.