Karzai gives wish list to India, but says he doesn't want Indian soldiers on Afghan soil

Addressing media persons in New Delhi, visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday said Kabul has given a wish list to India, but did not specify what the list contains.

Karzai said: "We have a wish list that we have put before the Government of India. It is upto the government now to provide us according to their means."

Karzai also informed reporters about the content of his broad-based discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pranab Mukherjee.

When asked whether he had made a request for the deployment of Indian troops in Afghanistan, the Afghan President categorically said there was no discussion about Indian troops and neither was there a need of deploying them in Afghanistan.

Karzai said that he wants India to continue to provide economic assistance to Afghanistan, and train Afghan police and military personnel. He also said that he was in favour of Indian officials joining the military academies set up by the United Kingdom and United States in Kabul to provide training to the Afghan forces.

Karzai also described Pakistan as a key element in the Afghan peace process, adding that it would be difficult and cumbersome to fight terrorism without Islamabad's cooperation, as the latter had an influence over the Taliban.

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