Afghan needs to be wary of Taliban in Pak: India

India said the biggest threat to Afghanistan's stability was the "newly emerging threat" of the Taliban operating from Pakistan, and said it would support the strengthening of Afghanistan's security in every way possible.

On the eve of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Kabul on Sunday, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said, "We want Afghanistan to emerge as a democratic, sovereign country, in full mastery of its own destiny. It is in our interest to ensure that Afghanistan does not once again become a centre of extremism or terrorism".

Citing some recent incidents, Saran said, "Insurgents from Pakistan are indulging in violent acts in Afghanistan. We have offered our full support to Afghanistan in dealing with this newly-emerging threat".

The Foreign Secretary said India was keen to help Afghanistan in the reconstruction of its economy, infrastructure and human resources, but denial of transit facilities was a "big constraint".

"Part of the difficulty to reach Afghanistan is that we have to use the circuitous route through Iran as there is no transit facility through Pakistan," he said. Even so, he said India was investing in infrastructure development so that Afghanistan was opened up.

The prime minister, during his two-day tour, will announce new projects worth $50 million to be undertaken by India and expansion of existing programmes and scholarships to take the assistance to a higher level. India is already funding reconstruction projects to the tune of $500 million.

About Pakistan's role in being a bridge between India and Central Asia, he said, "If it wishes to play that role, it is not logical to deny transit". He said Pakistan has this "economic leverage" which it is using.

Referring to the Iran-India gas pipeline project, he said, "Allowing the pipeline is a win-win situation for both India and Pakistan besides spreading the all-round economic benefits in the entire region".