KANDAHAR: Amid a stand-off between the US and Afghan president on the issue of a bilateral security agreement (BSA), India on Saturday saluted Hamid Karzai’s “extraordinary and brave” leadership in nurturing democracy and peace in the war-torn Afghanistan.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, speaking at the inauguration of Afghanistan’s first national agriculture university in Kandahar, backed Mr Karzai and lauded his leadership over the past 12 years.

Mr Khurshid, who arrived here on a day-long visit, said upcoming elections in the country were a testament to the fact that democracy had taken firm root.

“These elections are a testament to the fact that democracy has taken firm root in this country. It is also a testament to your extraordinary and brave leadership over the last 12 years, and the manner in which you have nurtured the plant of democracy in this country,” he said.

“Like in India, today no one can predict the eventual election result in Afghanistan. Many of the presidential tickets that will fight elections represent political and democratic alliances between groups that one could never imagine will one day become allies in an electoral battle.”

Mr Khurshid, the first external affairs minister to visit Kandahar, made the remarks while jointly inaugurating the 'Afghan National Agricultural Sciences and Technology University’ with Mr Karzai.

The varsity has been set up on the site of the erstwhile headquarters of the Taliban. India has pledged to invest up to $8 million in the project, portions of which are ready while others are being built.

India’s development assistance programme for Afghanistan stands at $2 billion, making it the leading donor nation among all countries in the region.

Mr Khurshid’s visit took place amid a rift between Mr Karzai and the US, jeopardising their proposed BSA that is vital for the limited presence of American forces in Afghanistan after the drawdown this year.

In his speech, the visiting minister extended India’s support to the Afghan government’s efforts to launch a genuine “Afghan-owned, Afghan-led and Afghan-controlled reconciliation process”.

By arrangement with the Times of India