India used Afghanistan as a second front: Chuck Hagel

Washington: In a sharp contrast to US view on India's role in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama's Defence Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel has alleged that India has over the years "financed problems" for Pakistan in the war-torn country.

A video containing these remarks from an unreleased speech of Hagel at Oklahoma's Cameron University in 2011 was uploaded by Washington Free Beacon, sparking a strong reaction from India which said such comments are "contrary to the reality" of its unbounded dedication to the welfare of Afghans.

Hagel, during the speech said, "India for some time has always used Afghanistan as a second front, and India has over the years financed problems for Pakistan on that side of the border".

"And you can carry that into many dimensions, the point being [that] the tense, fragmented relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been there for many, many years," Hagel said.

Reacting to this, the Indian Embassy here said,"Such comments attributed to Senator Hagel, who has been a long-standing friend of India and a prominent votary of close India-US relations are contrary to the reality of India's unbounded dedication to the welfare of Afghan people".

It added that India's commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan is unwavering, "and this is reflected in our significant assistance to Afghanistan in developing its economy, infrastructure and institutional capacities".

"Our opposition to terrorism and its safe havens in our neighbourhood is firm and unshakable."

"India's development assistance has been deeply appreciated by the people and the Government of Afghanistan, and by our friends around the world including the US.

"We do not view our engagement with Afghanistan as a zero sum game," the Embassy said.

Hagel's remarks are in sharp contrast to viewpoint of Obama administration that has always been in praise of India's developmental role in Afghanistan and in fact has been pressing New Delhi to do more in Afghanistan. Significantly, a deeply divided Senate is in the process of voting on US President's contentious nominee to head the Defence Department.