By IANS,
New Delhi : The US Wednesday said while India had a very important role in Afghanistan through its development programmes, the action against terrorism in the war-ravaged nation will not succeed without the aid of Pakistan.
“We have strongly welcomed the important role that India has played through its various reconstruction and development projects,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake said in a webchat from Washington, relayed through the state department website.
With respect to Pakistan’s role, he said they had an indispensable part in Afghanistan.
“We will not be able to succeed without the active support of friends in Pakistan,” he said.
Blake said Pakistan was taking steps to tackle terrorists, especially in Swat and Waziristan, as it was in its interest to do so.
“It is easy to forget that Pakistan is the country which has suffered the most from terrorism,” he said.
Answering a question, Blake said it was aware that the Maoist violence was one of the “primary threats facing India”.
“At this time, the Indian government has not made any request but we are ready to entertain any requests given our fast growing cooperation in this (counter-terrorism) sector,” he said.
The US official’s remarks on India come on the eve of the first India-US ministerial level strategic dialogue led by Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.