UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon answers a question during a function entitled 'India and the United Nations in a Changing World' in New Delhi on January 12, 2015. PHOTO: AFP
NEW DELHI: UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged India on Monday to help shore up stability in war-torn Afghanistan after the departure of US troops, saying the world was relying on South Asia's powerhouse to play a lead role.
Speaking on a visit to the capital New Delhi, Ban said India had a "huge role" to play on the security front in a region that has been beset by unrest.
"The world is looking at India to help advance peace and prosperity in South Asia," the UN secretary general said at a pubic lecture.
"Continuing instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan is not only the responsibility of these two nations. These challenges should be addressed through greater bilateral parleys.”
"The security challenges in Afghanistan cannot be solved by military process. It needs regional support from India," he added.
India has poured $2 billion in reconstruction aid into Afghanistan and has been asked for further support, including military assistance in Kabul's battle to contain a Taliban insurgency after a Nato combat mission wound up at the turn of the year.
But while pledging to do all it can to promote stability, New Delhi is wary of being sucked into a "proxy war" in Afghanistan involving allies of its nuclear-armed neighbour Pakistan.
Neither country has signed up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) but in his speech, Ban urged India to embrace the idea of nuclear disarmament to avoid a "nightmare" scenario.
"South Asia faces danger of nuclear weapons. Addition to arsenal raises risk of nuclear nightmare. I request India to express solidarity in nuclear disarmament," Ban said.
Since first becoming a nuclear power in 1974, India has said it would only ever use atomic weapons in response to an attack as part of its "no first use" doctrine.
COMMENTS (43)
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@Sexton Blake: The key to help anyone or anything be it a person or nation is the WILL TO HELP the US and its NATO lackeys never wanted to help anyone just self serving purpose that was to contain russia thats why US has never won and never will win a war always installing dictatorships supporting coups and overthrowing democracies fighting wrong people despite having advanced weaponry and all military and industrial might because simply they are only for self serving motives pretty similar to UK who decided upon themselves to spread the word of god hence those missionaries(sadly still operating throughout the world) plundering slaughtering NATIVES by the millions wiped out native indians from america(both south and north) australia new zealand and you still think you guys were helping it requires foremost goodwill to help and the brains which i don't think your dumb generals all on some weapons manufacturer payroll don't have they're just fuelling wars to satisfy ever hungry military industrial complex of your masters US so please DON'T worry about india not only we will do a better job and finish what you NEO imperialists have started but we will do it more efficiently and we already have spent all in all 5 billion dollars in afghanistan building things like their parliament building and hospitals and have lost more than 500 civilians including more than 100 capable doctors slaughtered by taliban which your so called ally pakistan supports so please don't come with your smug typical western attitude of know all and we are the GODS here and next time you want to know who actually CONTRIBUTED TO AFGHANISTAN DON'T ASK A PAKISTANI NOT EVEN A INDIAN ASK AN AVERAGE AFGHAN AND YOU'LL KNOW WHO DID WHAT CAPICHE?
@Agrippa - The Skeptic:
I liked your post and they are well articulated. You wrote exactly what I had in mind! Be informed that I may use some / quote your words in my future posts. Thank you.
@Agrippa - The Skeptic: Dear Agrippa, I do not agree with everything you wrote, but you obviously feel strongly about Indian intervention in Afghanistan. The Indians are not all bad as we so frequently hear so I think we should leave it there.
@Jalbani
Sir: If you read history of India of the past couple of thousands years, you will notice, Afghanistan was the immediate neighbour until 1947 partition. You will also be surprised to note that once few Afghan rulers ruled kingdoms from Delhi! They served in Moghuls courts and later in the employ of Marathas and served the Brits in the Battle of Srirangapatam against Tipu Sultan.
They speak an Indo-European language like Punjabi, Urdu or Hindi etc.
So they have many things common with that of India! Got it!
Why is the pakistani media not reporting the fact that Ban-Ki Moon also asked Pakistan to rein in Hafiz Saeed and LeT/JuD and affiliated allies . This is selective journalism by ET. Its there in all international newspapers but ET conveniently ignores that.
@ET, Please publish
@Xoxo: Tyggar: Agriipa: It does not give me any pleasure to tell you that you are writing nonsense. There is so much data available to anybody on the web that anybody with an IQ over 20 can work out what is happening. However, let us start with Pakistan and India. To put it simplistically neither country can provide 90% of their populations with a satisfactory standard of living, which is why they all wish to move to other countries. I can also say that I have Indian and Pakistan friends who I find to be delightful people. Changing the subject somewhat the world, in its wisdom, is spending 1.7 trillion dollars annually upon military expenditure most of which is spent by the US, and although Americans are not suffering like the sub-continent people about a 100 million of them are doing it tough, as are many, many Europeans and Brits, with the Greeks, Spanish and Portuguese at the bottom of the heap. The UN of course is a failed organization and under Ban Ki-moon cannot help anyone. The bottom line is that if the Western flunkies are leaving Afghanistan, after 13 years, with their tales between their legs and going broke as a result of their idiocy why would India wish to buy into it? .
@Jalbani Baloch:
I don't think UN will stop Pakistan from investing billions of dollars in Afghanistan to build schools, hospitals, roads and industries. Please ask your government to do so.
Also, UN will be delighted if Pakistan can catch and deport Taliban leaders and destroy their training camps in Punjab.
@Sexton Blake:
Pakistan is behind India in most of the human development factors like - capita income, literacy rates, internet connectivity, upward mobility, women's rights, minorities rights etc.
But some Pakistanis joke about poverty in India, as if their own country is far ahead of India. It is a sad sign that they rather point fingers at others than try to fix problem at home.
Nobody has stopped Pakistan from investing in Afghanistan. If you think Pakistan can do better than feel free to pour in a few billions of dollars to build roads and schools. I am sure UN would gladly ask you for more help.
@S.R.H. Hashmi Well Mr. Hashmi, have you ever been to Srinagar or Jammu? or you just watch your urdu news channels? And enjoy your tea because your voice may be effective in 3020 or later till now please care for your city Karachi.
@Azam Khan your comment or mine will not affect the reality/Action
@Bewildered: even pakistan has nuclear bomb but is pakistan a responsible country?
Again, a great mistake is being repeated in Afghanistan. Why India is being given lead role in Afghanistan, which is neither its immediate neighbor or has it any cultural affinity or connection. Let the neighbors including Pakistan, Iran and other central russian states play a pivotal role in bringing peace and tranquility in this war-torn country. Presence of India in Afghanistan will be viewed with suspicion by Pakistan and the situation will not improve rather it will further aggravate, while India is open enemy to Pakistan and it is found involved in supporting terrorism in Balochistan.
@Bewildered: No, you're not, just bewildered!
@Sexton Blake: suggesting that a country where half the population do not have bathrooms should pick up the tab.
Bathrooms don't kill people "strategic assets do". Pakistan doesn't have bathrooms as well but it does have "strategic assets" that kill on a regular basis
Ban Ki Moon must be joking...presence of Indian security officials in Afghanistan will only make the situation worse as Pakistan frequently complains of Indian influence on militants crossing the border from Afghanistan side
@Moonies: "Perhaps you should have spent your time asking Indian to implement UN Resolution on Kashmir. Have I missed something, ..." Oh yes darling, u have completely missed the bus as far as the UN resolutions on Kashmir r concerned !!!
Pakistan must write a letter to UN against this...lol
You guys should post your comments on the UN Official website to give them the message that we didn't like this comment from UN Chief as it contradicts the regional realities and shows his utter disregard for the tremendous sacrifices that Pakistan paid in the Afghan War. Also don't forget to tell Ban that he should also request India to take the 3 million plus registered and un registered Afghan refugees to India and settle them there instead of imposing them on Pakistan. Do also tell him that India has no historical or cultural links to the Afghans who have always ruled them and hence historically seen as oppressors while Pakistan has both cultural, religious and historical relations with Pakistan. Moreover, our military has offered to train the Afghan security forces to fight the war on the terrorists together with close support of each other.
@Bewildered: No you are not wrong dear bcz india helping afghan to esrablish afghan army india trained new officers or also dear afghan children studying under exchange prog or dear india doing work under U.american helping for security cover so bro no need to taunting, if india us leave afghan now then bro you will see isis in afghan so let see time will decide the fate.gud luck
Dear Pakistanis - Hahahahahahahahahaha
@Bewildered: it is not the richness or might that matters but the willingness to help the people in distress,not to put people in distress like your nation is currently doing to others.
@S.R.H. Hashmi: Kashmir has a 5000-year history with India. The only newcomer here is Pakistan. To resolve this issue please vacate PoK and you'll have peace in a jiffy.
Pakistan should play a lead role. If that is not acceptable for the hosts, they should invite China. That should be acceptable to all parties, right? India does not want to get sucked into a constant blood letting by Pakistan in Afghanistan. There is no way India will agree to this. India has way too many things on its plate like development of industries, social issues, economic growth etc to take care of in the next 10-20 years.
We were unable to complete Torkham - Jalal-abad road in God know how many years & after the commitment of PM Gilani, Raja, Nawaz Sharif. The world knows that we are only good for invading Jalal Abad not building a road or school. So the results speaks for itself. It is not good luck or favour that UN is looking to India for stability, peace & development in Afghanistan but real life situation. Live with it.
More than India why doesn't China play any role other than mining. Why can't Pakistan make some strategy with Afghanistan and China? Do Pakistan has large Pakistani mining companies and why they don't bid for afghan minerals.
India should provide security only if it can get mining rights.
@Moonies: It is the Pakistan who has to implement UN resolution not India. Pakistan has not filed any case against India.
Could it be possible that the leaders of US, NATO, UN have more details on the development in Afghanistan than an individual ET reader? I bet they do. When does a rumour become fact? When 5 people repeat it, 50,000 people repeat it or a nations elite repeats it? It still stays a rumour, people start believing it as a fact, draw wrong conclusions, act in a wrong manner and land in a hole which they themselves dig.
It becomes difficult to come out the hole. 11 individual opinions on this forum call Ban Ki Moon names and claim to understand the situation better than the Sec. Gen. of the UN does. Can they? Do they have the wherewithal to access the details? No they don't. But still they know they are right ! So be it guys, have fun and when the next time Sartaj Aziz writes to UN, the UN will reroute the notes to you for solution. After all you understand the situation better and Ban Ki Moon "has lost it".
@Bewildered: no you are not. You are spot on.
@abreez: The 'biggest poverty' has spent 2 billion $ of its own money for the betterment of Afghanistan while Pakistan has been adding more 'employees' to its terror industry and looking for a bigger begging bowl!
The US and its EU puppets, the most wealthy countries in the world, have tried for over 13 years, spent several trillion dollars and failed miserably to control the chaos they created in Afghanistan. Now Ban Ki-moon is suggesting that a country where half the population do not have bathrooms should pick up the tab. No wonder the UN has become a failed organization.
@Feroz:
"The world is looking to India to play a leading role in helping to resolve all conflicts everywhere," ......
Because India is the mightiest, richest, most advanced, and most principled country in the world, and the rest of the world desperately needs India's help. Am I wrong?
Thanks ban Ki Moon. Comments above from my western neighbor has made my day. Clearly shows how much Pakistan gets disturbed when world acknowledges India's help to Afghanistan.
Um...Mr Moon, India has been backing the TTP and BLA spread cross border terror in Pakistam.
Perhaps you should have spent your time asking Indian to implement UN Resolution on Kashmir.
Have I missed something, you are still the UN Sec Gen right?
What a silly suggestion, Afgans should take a lead. Ban Ki-moon has lost it.
Next time please elect a Secretary who understands regional politics better than this one.
If Ban Ki-moon had to say something to India, as a UN Secretary General, he should have asked India to move towards the solution of the Kashmir problem which is the oldest unresolved dispute on UN books and on which issue the two neighbours have fought a few wars. But he said not a word on that, because he dared not refer to this issue for fear of angering India.
And he did not even ask India to cool it down and not to escalate tension with Pakistan by resorting to unprovoked firing, killing unarmed Pakistani civilians, and committing the most despicable act of killing Pakistani soldiers after calling them for a flag meeting. Obviously, reference to such things would also have displeased India and Ban Ki-moon just can't afford to incur India's displeasure.
And speaking with his master's voice, Ban Ki-moon asked India to play a greater role in Afghanistan, just because that is what the US wants and Ban Ki-moon has to return the favour done to him by the US which installed him as UN Secretary General for a second time.
And how far removed from reality Ban Ki-moon is can be judged by the fact that despite there being not even one in a billion chance of India agreeing to it, he urged India to embrace the idea of nuclear disarmament to avoid a "nightmare" scenario.
The man is merely a glorified errand boy for the major Western powers.
After fighting bitter world wars, the European countries have learned to leave in peace which is to the benefit of them all. Even Japan has forgiven the United States and is on the best of terms with it. I hope and pray that people in our region could also learn to live in peace and India being the biggest of the three - India, Pakistan, Afghanistan - has greatest of responsibility to make a sincere move in that direction.
Karachi
Who is Ban Ki-moon to take political and strategic decisions for Afghan government? UN Secretary General certainly does not have any such mandate. Most likely he is exploiting Indians weakness of flattery to get some personal benefits, otherwise he has absolutely no authority to force Afghan government to accept his personal ideas.
Ban ki moon is aware about the development brought to the country by India. The infrastructure projects are need of the hour.A country ruined by Pakistan, Russia, and America's cat and mouse games spiced up by byproducts like taliban, need stability and serious funding on infrastructure.
The world is looking to India to play a leading role in helping to resolve all conflicts everywhere, however India does not want to get sucked into the vortex of global geo politics because the respect it commands is due to its non aligned status. India has helped Afghanistan with generous Aid and will provide further assistance if the request comes from the Afghan people. What other countries want to contribute is for them to contribute.
It’s not Christianity, not even Islam, the biggest religion of the world is Hypocrisy and its preachers are USA, UK and UN. Ban Ki-moon urged the biggest poverty of the world to help shore up stability in war-torn Afghanistan. Time has come for Pakistan to adopt neutral role, where Pakistan must have very good relations with Russia, Central Asian States, Iran and Afghanistan.
Ban Ki-Moon must be joking !
Ban Ki-moon needs early retirement for such a blunder and illogical statement. He is asking for more chaos in the region by asking India to paly key role in Afghanistan.