NEW DELHI, Nov 1: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said on Saturday that his peace efforts with Pakistan were aimed at seeking friendly constituency among the people there but he also warned Islamabad against threatening New Delhi’s interests in Afghanistan.

United News of India quoted Mr Vajpayee as asserting at a meeting of senior officers from the combined armed forces that India would withstand any “crude threats” against its consulates in Kandahar and Jalalabad.

“He rejected Pakistan’s implied claim to Afghanistan as an expansion of its strategic space,” UNI quoted Mr Vajpayee as saying.

“We cannot accept Pakistan’s implied claim to Afghanistan as an expansion of its strategic space. We will firmly withstand the crude threats that are being made against our Consulates in Kandahar and Jalalabad,” he told the Combined Commanders Conference here.

He said India’s economic assistance to and other cooperation initiatives with Afghanistan would continue.

Describing Afghanistan and Central Asia as being of great importance to India in the larger picture of regional interests, including energy security, Mr Vajpayee said New Delhi would expand cooperation in all areas with Central Asian countries.

Press Trust of India quoted Mr Vajpayee as telling the same meeting that India would hold a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan only after it saw sincerity in Islamabad’s efforts to “stop cross border terrorism and to dismantle infrastructure of terrorism.”

He said: “We will continue to deal firmly with cross border terrorism and a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan is only possible when we see sincerity in their efforts to stop cross border infiltration and to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism.”

About the ongoing efforts to promote greater people to people interaction, cultural exchanges and economic cooperation with Pakistan, Mr Vajpayee said: “It was India’s effort to encourage those elements in Pakistan, who recognize the folly of permanent hostility towards India.”

Calling on the armed forces to evolve a comprehensive counter terrorism doctrine by developing suitable capabilities of manpower and high technology equipment, Mr Vajpayee said the Russian retreat from Afghanistan had released thousands of armed Mujahideen whom Pakistan had redirected into Jammu and Kashmir.