KARACHI: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said his country will not be a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) unless it is given access to the Wagah crossing on the Pak-India border, DNA India reported on Wednesday.

Addressing a gathering at the Vivekananda International Foun­dation in New Delhi, Mr Ghani said that Kabul would block Pakistan’s access to Central Asia if it was not given access to India through the CPEC project, according to the DNA report.

Mr Ghani’s comment came a week after a meeting between representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China in Oman at which the revival of peace talks with Taliban was discussed.

“Sanctuaries are provided, logistics are provided, training is provided, ideological base is provided [...] Pakistan has come to a juncture and it needs to make a choice,” DNA quoted Mr Ghani as saying. “Our reaction will be determined by its [Pakistan’s] choices.”

The Afghan president also welcomed India’s new role in Afghanistan as discussed in the new US policy for the region.

He termed the Trump administration’s new strategy for South Asia a “game changer” for the region as it “recommends multidimensional condition-based approach for the region”.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2017