In a recent interview, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asserts that ‘Pakistan [is] not doing enough to fight terrorism’ and believes that Afghanistan requires the sustained support of the global community if it is to return to the path of peace, freedom, and an environment in which fundamentalist terrorist elements do not have the sway they had some years ago before 9/11.

He warns that ‘failure in Afghanistan would be catastrophic.’ In Singh’s estimation, ‘if the Taliban and Al Qaeda group of people succeed in Afghanistan, it would have catastrophic results for the security and stability not only of Pakistan, but for all of South Asia, where 1.8 billion people live. Also, it will affect the course of evolution in the Middle East, Central Asia, and possibly even beyond these regions.’

Singh assures that India does not want Pakistan to fail because “the emergence of democracy in Pakistan is something we welcome,” he says. He poses a caveat, though: that if the terrorist groups – that until now were only active in the federally administered areas along the border of Afghanistan but are now active elsewhere in the country – are not controlled, there will be consequences for the stability and security of Pakistan.’ Logically, this situation does not bode well for India’s security as well, and Singh is aware of that.

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Via The Christian Science Monitor