Indian diplomat warned US against Pak’s “game” to “drive India out of Afghanistan”

ISLAMABAD - India warned the United States not to be drawn into the Pakistani “game” of enlisting US support to “drive India out of Afghanistan” by presenting “fabricated” evidence of alleged Indian misdeeds in Afghanistan, according to a diplomatic cable unveiled by whistle-blower website WikiLeaks.

YK Sinha, India’s top diplomat for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, contended that “it is quite clear to India” that Pakistan views Afghanistan “as a zero sum game and they want India out of Afghanistan,” said the leaked cable.

He stated that “we will not leave Afghanistan because we have strategic interests there,” added the cable, which was classified as “confidential”.

“Acknowledging that the US Government (USG) ‘needs Pakistan for many things right now,’ Sinha counseled that the USG beware of Pakistan’s ‘game’ of enlisting American support to ‘drive India out of Afghanistan’,” said the February 2010 cable.

According to it, Sinha “suggested that Islamabad would likely present USG officials with “fabricated” evidence of alleged Indian misbehavior in Afghanistan or the border areas, namely the FATA.”

In the meeting, Sinha welcomed ‘increased coordination’ between the Government Of India and the United States Government “at all levels” on their respective assistance activities in Afghanistan. (ANI)