Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani
Amid an intensified wave of attacks by the Taliban, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has told NDTV that Pakistan must, within a timeframe, commit to the war against terrorism in his country, calling it a "litmus test".
"Time becomes a litmus test in itself. Here is the test. This year and the years to come," President Ghani said, adding, "A fundamental peace is needed between Pakistan and Afghanistan because there has been an undeclared state of hostilities. That must end."
The Afghan leader had delayed his official trip to India on Monday by a few hours amid heavy fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents that killed more than 30 combatants, threatening Kunduz, a major city in the northern part of the country, officials said.
Referring to the Taliban massacre at a school in Pakistan in December last year where over 150 people - mostly children - were killed, President Ghani said, "Peshawar was heinous," adding, "We match words with deeds. When we say we act against terror, we act. We do not just confine ourselves to rhetoric."
On his attempts to talk to the Taliban, the President acknowledged that Pakistan was responding positively, saying "there has been movement in Pakistan to nudge the Taliban to talk, but, first sanctuary must be denied." The Afghan leader added, "Time will tell (whether Pakistan is actually taking action)."
Significantly, the Afghan President highlighted the importance of ties with New Delhi. "India, because of its democratic values, is interested in partnership and we are interested in forging partnerships that allow us all to benefit. A country that fits in four of five of our foreign policy circles is of enormous significance to us," Mr Ghani said.
On reports that his predecessor Hamid Karzai's long-standing order for heavy arms from India was on hold, President Ghani said, "No... you know, the past is the past. We are engaged in a comprehensive understanding of our mutual interests and we will act and build on those mutual interests."