KATHMANDU: Afghan president told the prime ministers of Pakistan and India on Wednesday he would not let his country become the battleground for a proxy war.

Pakistan and India have long accused each other of using proxy forces to try to gain influence in Afghanistan. But the imminent departure of Nato combat forces from the country has raised fears that the rivalry could escalate further.

“We will not allow our territory to be used against any of our neighbours. But we will not permit anybody to conduct proxy wars on our soil either,” President Ashraf Ghani said in his speech at the Saarc summit.

Only last week, former president Pervez Musharraf warned that departure of Nato troops could provoke a proxy Indo-Pakistan war involving members of Afghanistan’s rival ethnic groups.

Without mentioning any country by name, Mr Ghani said that state sponsorship of non-state actors could have damaging effects.

“It should be clear that such measures have blowback effects, destabilising the state system,” he said.

He also underlined the need for strong connectivity between the member countries.

Trade among the Saarc member countries has grown from under $140 million in 2008 to $878m in 2012, according to Saarc figures.

But it still accounts for less than five per cent of the region’s total commerce, according to the Washington-based Brookings Institution.

By contrast, trade between East Asian nations accounts for nearly 35 per cent of that region’s total.

Published in Dawn, November 27th , 2014