Afghan Prez: India, China factor in regional prosperity; moment of choice for Pak  

Asserting that China and India are to be a factor in the regional prosperity, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has said it is 'a moment of choice' for neighbouring Pakistan as all its calculations have been 'wrong' so far. 

Ghani, in an interview to CNN's Fareed Zakaria which aired on Sunday, said that verbally, the leaders of Pakistan all fortunately acknowledge that they do not want the Taliban government in Afghanistan, that they would like to see a peaceful, stable, democratic government in the war-torn country. 

"We are key to their prosperity. The rate of growth in Afghanistan could enhance by two per cent in a stable and connected Afghanistan, we have to work together.” 

"So, there are two options. Connect to Central Asia through us, share in the joint prosperity through the partnership for peace, gain international credibility and support that they're all in need of, or opt for chaos," he said. 

The country that would be most damaged by insecurity or a renewed civil war in Afghanistan is Pakistan, and in that case, it would be a lose proposition, Ghani said. 

"It's a moment of choice for Pakistan. All its calculations have been wrong," the Afghanistan president said. 

Afghanistan has in the past accused Pakistan of providing safe havens for terror groups that target its territory, especially the Afghan Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Haqqani group. 

Responding to a question, Ghani said that China is not an interventionist power. 

"It does not want to get engaged with military or proxy wars, and Pakistan in terms of its foreign policy obviously is hedging between China and other countries, because it is still, its reliance on the rest of the region is quite significant. Pakistan can become an anchor of regional stability if it opts for peace in regional cooperation," he said. 

The discourse of Pakistan has changed, he said, adding that there was a security conference in Islamabad where the talk was really significantly about harmony and cooperation. 

(With inputs from agencies)