Kabul slams Pakistan, says will increase security cooperation with India

Kabul, Jan.22 (ANI): Seeing common enemy in Pakistan especially in the wake of 26 /11 blasts, both India and Afghanistan are planning to increase security cooperation, Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta said after meeting his Indian conterpart Pranab Mukherjee.

"We have very little in cooperation in security, information exchange and we willncrease that," Spanta told ANI.

This move is significant and bound to irk Islamabad , because till now India with pledge of investing 750 million dollars is involved in major capacity building and infrastructure development projects in Afghanistan.

But it is only after the attack on Indian Embassy in July last year, that both the countries are mooting increased intelligence sharing.

India, however, is not in favour of military cooperation with Afghanistan.

Sharing the common pain, both India and Afghanistan have been blaming Pakistan for fomenting cross-border terrorism.

Echoing New Delhi's assertion on terrorism being used by Pakistan as an instrument of foreign policy, Spanta said:"Afghanistan believes that there are some entities in our region that are using terrorism as a tool for foreign policy, we have to give that an end".

On the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, Spanta said: "We share your pain, the pain of the Indian people because Afghanistan is the victim of same terrorism with same sources"

Indian Foreign Minister who arrived in Kabul also called upon President Karzai , This is the second time the leaders are interacting with each after the 26/11 Mumbai Blasts took place.

Mukherjee, who is on a two-day visit to Kabul, will today formally hand over the reconstructed and strategically important Zaranj-Delaram surface transport route to Afghanistan.

Built in Nimroze province by the Border Roads Organization,this 218-kilometer-long road will provide landlocked Afghanistan an alternative access to the sea and will minimize its dependence on Pakistan. BY Naveen Kapoor (ANI)