Afghan President Ghani shames Pakistan at 'Heart of Asia' summit

New Delhi: In a humiliation for Pakistan on Indian soil, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani accused it of backing terror by launching an undeclared war against his country.

Speaking at the Heart of Asia (HoA) conference in Amritsar, not far from the Indo-Pak border, on Sunday, Mr Ghani rejected the Pakistani offer of financial assistance. He told Pakistan PM’s adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz that Islamabad’s offer of $500 million could instead be used by Pakistan to contain extremism.

In what was music to India’s ears, President Ghani also lavished praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“India’s support is impressive, both in its scale and delivery. India’s assistance is  aimed at improving people’s lives. It is transparent. It is a convergence of interests and values of two states,” he said.

Sanctuaries in Pakistan help Taliban: Ghani
A stunned Pakistan put up a week defence later, with Mr Aziz saying that it was simplistic to blame only one country for the recent upsurge in violence (in Afghanistan).

The conference happened amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan following a string of terror attacks and border skirmishes.

The HoA is an annual meet of regional and global powers to explore ways to fight terrorism and rebuild the war-ravaged Afghanistan. Forty-five countries and international organisations attended two days of deliberations with a call for a war on terror taking the centre stage.

Launching an all-out attack on Pakistan in his speech, Mr Ghani said, “Despite our intense engagement with Pakistan on bilateral and multilateral basis, the undeclared war — the name that I gave to the phenomenon in the winter 2014 — not only has not abated but also intensified during 2016, with special intensity right after the Brussels Conference.”

He said that a key Afghan Taliban leader had admitted that the Taliban would not last even for a month if it did not have sanctuaries in Pakistan. Analysts say Pakistan has historically backed the Afghan Taliban as a hedge against the influence of arch rival India.