India helped rebuild Afghanistan: Karzai

New Delhi: Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai spoke at the ongoing Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, 2014 being held in New Delhi.

Hamid Karzai opened his address by expressing his happiness about being in India again.

He started his address by highlighting the main challenge he thinks both India and Afghanistan are facing: removing human suffering.

“Afghanistan, like India, is an ancient country with a rich heritage and proud history. Afghanistan has been a crossroads between continents and connected people throughout history,” Karzai said.

Emphasising on the change Afghanistan is going through at the moment, Karzai said modern Afghanistan has transformed from a stateless geography to a pluralistic state.

“Afghanistan suffered invasions, foreign interferences, extremism that inflicted massive suffering on our country and society,” Karzai said.

Throwing light on the changing dynamics of the media of his country, Karzai said the media is becoming more vibrant in Afghanistan.

Touching on serious issues, Karzai said: “Terrorism remains a serious challenge not only to Afghanistan but the whole region. We will continue to follow a peace process that will allow the Taliban to come back to their own country.”

Clarifying his stance towards the US and NATO, two subjects that overshadowed his tenure as the head of state, Karzai said: “My stance against certain elements of US and NATO presence was principled. Afghanistan wishes to have an enduring partnership with US and our western partners.

“The Afghan people would love to be friends with America – but as equals. One is very poor and one is very rich but that should not reduce the dignity. The US should have gone to the sanctuaries of terrorism, not Afghanistan.”

He said he told President Obama they should not be running with the hare and hunting with the hound

Discussing the ties that have been built between the two nations, Karzai said that India has been an important factor in rebuilding his country.

“India has participated in every aspect of rebuilding our country. India has been a valued partner in nation-building in Afghanistan,” he said.

He thanked Prime Minister Modi for his continued commitment to Afghanistan and its people.

Karzai also talked about the brewing tension between India and Pakistan and distanced Afghanistan from the issue.

“Afghanistan will not allow proxy war between India and Pakistan on its soil – and I’m sure India won’t do that. India will be there to educate our children, build dams, not to wage a proxy war against Pakistan – so I’ll give a reassurance to Musharraf that he did not worry.”