India supporting "Terrorists" in Afghanistan against Pakistan

[Windjammer]

India financed problems for Pak in Afghanistan, says US defence secretary nominee 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.

The embassy said India and the US have a shared perspective and a deep convergence of interests for ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

"We will continue to work to help the Afghan people build a peaceful, prosperous, democratic and inclusive future for themselves in an environment free from terror and intimidation," the statement said.

The unearthing of anti-India comment by Hagel provided another ammunition to the Republican Senators to oppose his confirmation.

Once published, the news item was sent by the office of powerful Republican Senator John Cornyn, who is among the leading opponent of twice wounded Vietnam veteran's confirmation.

"In light of our shared interest in the US-India relationship, thought you would want to see this," said the email sent by Cornyn's office to top Indian American community leaders. Cornyn is co-chair of the Senate India Caucus.

"I am surprised and shocked. We did not know the story and background of Senator Hagel on India, Afghanistan and Pakistan. I think Indian community needs to work on to see how we can help to stop his nomination for the post of secretary of defence.

"We will definitely follow up with our senators and impress on them on the folly of such a nomination," Republican Sampat Shivangi, national president of Indian American Forum for Political Education, said.

As Nebraska Senator for two terms from 1997 to 2009, Hagel was member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, frequently travelled to South Asia and voted in favour of the historic India-US civilian nuclear deal.

During his trip to Pakistan he told the then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf that a similar agreement was not on cards with Islamabad, because of the proliferation issues with his country.

Hagel's nomination has bitterly split the Senate, with Republicans turning on their former colleague and Democrats standing by Obama's nominee.

Republican lawmakers excoriated Hagel over his past statements and votes. They argued that he was too critical of Israel and too compromising with Iran. They cast the Nebraskan as a radical far out of the mainstream.

India financed problems for Pak in Afghanistan, says US defence secretary nominee Chuck Hagel - The Times of India

 

[Rajput_Pakistani]

BY: Adam Kredo
February 25, 2013 3:30 pm

Secretary of defense nominee Chuck Hagel suggested in a previously unreleased 2011 speech that India has “for many years” sponsored terrorist activities against Pakistan in Afghanistan.

“India has over the years financed problems for Pakistan” in Afghanistan, Hagel said during a 2011 address regarding Afghanistan at Oklahoma’s Cameron University, according to video of the speech obtained by the Free Beacon.

The controversial comments mark a departure from established United States policy in the region and could increase tensions between the Obama administration and India should the Senate confirm Hagel on Tuesday, according to experts.

“It’s both over-the-top and a sharp departure from a U.S. position that has seen democratic India as a stabilizing influence in Afghanistan and Asia more broadly,” said Sadanand Dhume, former India bureau chief at the Far Eastern Economic Review and current resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

“It’s also exactly the sort of statement that would have frayed ties with New Delhi, which has been watching the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan with concern,” Dhume said, referring to the administration’s plan to remove most military forces from the war-torn country in the coming months.

Hagel’s nomination has been stalled for more than a week after Senate Democrats failed to secure the 60 votes needed to end a Republican filibuster of the nomination. GOP lawmakers have continued to express concern over Hagel’s controversial stance on Israel, the Jewish community, and Iran, positions they say leave him unfit to serve in such a sensitive post.

The U.S. has long viewed India as a key ally in its fight against terrorism in the porous border regions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Tensions have arisen between India and Pakistan over the latter’s failure to stymie terrorist activities.

Hagel appears to accuse India of fueling tensions with Pakistan, claiming it is using Afghanistan “as a second front” against Pakistan.

“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,” Hagel says in the speech. “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’s comments reflect a “paranoid” worldview, India expert Dhume said.

“This statement reflects the views of the more paranoid elements of the Pakistan establishment more than mainstream U.S. opinion,” he said. “It’s a dated way of looking at a part of the world important to U.S. interests in Asia.”

Hagel’s 2011 remarks at Cameron University were released to the Free Beacon under the Oklahoma Open Records Act. The university had initially stated that Hagel would have to personally authorize the speech’s release, though no authorization was ultimately granted.

Hagel also criticized NATO during his remarks, questioning whether the international treaty organization can continue to exist.

Divisions among NATO members over operations in Afghanistan and Libya have raised questions about the organization’s usefulness, Hagel said.

“We are seeing a shift everywhere, we’re seeing a shift in NATO—seven, eight, nine members of NATO out of 28 were the only members of NATO that participated in the Libya exercise,” Hagel said. “Some of the most significant members, Germany being one of them, said NATO has no business in Libya, absolutely none.”

“Many of the people in the countries [that are] represented with boots on the ground … don’t want to be there, never wanted to be there,” Hagel said of NATO allies.

“So can NATO continue to exist, should it exist” given these disputes, Hagel asked. “What then is the usefulness of NATO?”

Hagel again questioned NATO’s usefulness later in the speech.

“All these [international] institutions that were built after World War II throughout leadership … now 65 years later of course they cannot be the same institutions,” Hagel said.

“I just mentioned a couple minutes ago NATO as a good example. There is no Soviet threat and you all remember in 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down and ‘89, ‘90, ‘91 the Soviet Union imploded, the great question in the Congress, in Europe, was, ‘Why do we need NATO? What was the point on NATO?’ ” Hagel said. “And we essentially parked that question. We never answered it, and instead we said, ‘Well lets enlarge NATO,’ so we enlarged it.”

Hagel also explained that the U.S. is increasingly relying on unmanned drones, comments that could renew Democratic criticism of the former Republican Nebraska senator’s stance on the use of such weapons.

“What’s evolving with the drones. That is shifting that’s changing, that’s going to change our military from what it is now in many, many ways,” Hagel said. “We probably here soon will see one of the last copies of a human pilot aircraft finally for the obvious reasons. All of these dimensions are shifting the world in ways no one is wise enough, smart enough to calculate or calibrate.”

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R., Okla.), the Senate Armed Services Committee’s ranking member, warned Republican lawmakers last week against voting to confirm Hagel.

“Make no mistake; a vote for cloture is a vote to confirm Sen. Hagel as secretary of defense,” Inhofe wrote in a strongly worded letter to his Republican colleagues, several of whom have indicated that they would vote to end debate on Hagel’s nomination, paving the way for his confirmation.

Hagel is widely expected to be confirmed Tuesday by the Senate, more than a month after he was first nominated by Obama.

The anti-Semitic Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan, threw his support behind Hagel on Monday.

Chuck Hagel attacks India | Washington Free Beacon

 

[Capt.Popeye]

Well, this will become another cause for the Indo-American Caucus on Capitol Hill to pursue. And keep them busy for a while.

 

[IndoCarib]

It is no secret that India and Pakistan creates problems for each other in Afghanistan. Hagel seems to have forgotten the bombing of Indian consulate in Kabul

 

[indushek]

"Republican lawmakers excoriated Hagel over his past statements and votes. They argued that he was too critical of Israel and too compromising with Iran. They cast the Nebraskan as a radical far out of the mainstream"

Says it all, he might be an attention grabber.

 

[Windjammer]

Doesn't come as a surprise but it's good the world knows the reality....once the Americans leave, it will be a rich hunting ground.

 

[IndoCarib]

Doesn't come as a surprise but it's good the world knows the reality....once the Americans leave, it will be a rich hunting ground.

Yeah right. Why not hunt the Americans when they are there ?

 

[jackyy]

Doesn't come as a surprise but it's good the world knows the reality....once the Americans leave, it will be a rich hunting ground.

lets see when they leave

 

[Screambowl]

Now he will not become the Defence Secretary for sure. Anyways he is just a nominee.

 

[JanjaWeed]

So US along with NATO allies are putting into practice those problems financed by India? Afterall security apparatus of Afghanistan is headed by US. Chuck Hagel maybe made to eat his words. Afterall it's politics.. & in politics perceptions change shamelessly.

 

[MST]

Doesn't come as a surprise but it's good the world knows the reality....once the Americans leave, it will be a rich hunting ground.

You seem truly excited about 2014. Has it occurred to you that with Americans leaving, Pakistan will loose all the leverage it has with the US & Europe. I leave it to you to find out what that could mean for Pakistan.

 

[KRAIT]

I was wondering why India hasn't been brought in limelight over these incidents in India more often. Thanks to OP. Old game starts.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

Yeah right. Why not hunt the Americans when they are there ?

That Dude; requires cojones.

And after they (supposedly) leave (are they even leaving?? ) then the proverbial $hit will hit the fan.
Then watch the fun. I have stocked up on We will have a ring-side view......

 

[Windjammer]

Yeah right. Why not hunt the Americans when they are there ?

The Americans in a way have invaded Afghanistan so it's for the locals to hunt them. !!

Before the Americans arrived....there was no Taliban problem in Pakistan.

 

[KRAIT]

Well, I wonder what US says when Pakistan finance terrorists against India in India itself. Oh wait, it doesn't matter.

Yawn......Same old story.