Afghanistan has full belief in India’s anti-terror fight:envoy

New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) Amid strain in Indo-Pak ties overthe Kashmir issue, Afghanistan today complimented India’s"genuine" efforts to combat terrorism and said use of terrorto pursue strategic goals must be stopped. Afghan Ambassador Shaida Mohammad Abdali, without namingPakistan, said using terrorism as a "tool" selectivity shouldnot be tolerated and that there should be a united fight todeal with the challenge. "India’s struggle for peace, India’s struggle to ensure apeaceful, a stable region should not be questioned. We havefull belief in India’s genuine efforts to fight terrorism,"Abdali said. He was responding to a question on Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s reference, during his Independence Day speech,to the situation in Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistan-occupiedKashmir. "Unfortunately, terrorism is being used as a tool,selectivity in terms of good and bad terrorists. Unless anduntil we put an end to this miscalculated, misguided, ill-intentions we have in our region, the spread of terrorism andthe destruction it causes will double. "So it is high time we join hands and stop usingterrorism for our strategic goals, in this region and that weuse all civilised ways and means to live in this regionpeacefully," Abdali added. On Indo-Afghan ties, Abdali indicated his government’skeenness to have more military supplies from India. "Effortsfrom both sides is that we enhance our relationship in allareas, including in defence." The envoy was talking to reporters after receiving afather-son duo from Afghanistan, who have cycled in last 14months nearly 11,000 kms across 15 countries to spread themessage of world peace. "Daesh (Islamic State) as a new phenomenon, looks formuch wider presence, influence and control, compared to whatthey are doing in Afghanistan. So, the current situation anddesign is beyond Afghanistan when it comes to Daesh," he said. The envoy hoped that countries in the region, especiallyIndia, Pakistan, China, Russia and Iran will join hands andwork on a common counter-terrorism strategy to fight themenace with full sincerity. "It is a shared future and shared development. We are allin the same boat. And, as a region, if this boat sinks, thewhole region will suffer but if we want to swim then thatswimming effort requires everyone to be sincere to oneanother," the Afghan ambassador said. PTI KNDRT