‘Time for bold action’: Afghan envoy backs India

A DAY after India declared having conducted surgical strikes across the Line of Control, Afghanistan supported New Delhi’s actions. “Surgical strikes by India in POK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) were act of self-defence,” Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India Shaida Abdali said.

Abdali,whowasafghanistan’s deputy NSA before becoming envoy in Delhi, told reporters at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia “it is time to take bold action”.

“We feel that the time has come for tough action against terrorists. There will be risk and cost involved in such measures but we have to undertake them because the time has come for us to combat this force. If terror groups continue violence, then the actions taken (by India) will continue,” he said.

“We hope no one will allow safe havens for terrorists to be used against neighbours... Pakistan can’t stay in a constant state of denial and cannot remain unanswered.”

Abdali, who was one of the envoys briefed by foreign secretary S Jaishankar about the strikes, said Pakistan was not reciprocating the goodwill shown by its neighbours and that’s why four nations had pulled out from the upcoming SAARC summit in Islamabad.

He refused to discuss what was said at the foreign secretary’s briefing but added it was good that India had briefed its friends and partners.

“Right now the environment is not conducive to conducting the SAARC summit, with terrorism continuing in the region,” he said.