KABUL – The Afghan government on Thursday raised concerns about remarksmade by the head of the National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistanlink> , Sayed Ishaq Gailani.*

Gailani said at a recent meeting in Islamabad that the Afghan governmentprovides the context for India to interfere in Pakistan using Afghanistanlink> soil.

The Directorate of National Security (NDS) said Gailani’s remarks had beenagainst Afghanistan’s interests and that the matter would be referred tojudicial departments for investigation.

“Afghanistan soil will be used against no country and we expect the samefrom other countries,” the president’s deputy spokesman Dawa Khan Minapalsaid.

“India use Afghanistan link> anduse its soil against Pakistan. There is no doubt about this. They do thisand why has this context been provided to them? Why has such a conditioncome that Afghan government and a number of people provide the situationfor India to interfere in Pakistan,” said Gailani.

Gailani’s remarks come at a time that the US has increased pressure onPakistan over providing safe havens to insurgent groups.

Speaking in Islamabad, Ghailani said he lived in Pakistan for 26 years andtwo of his daughters live there. He said Pakistan was like his second home.

He went on to say the current war by the Taliban against foreign forces wasno different to the war fought by Mujahideen against the Soviet Union.

“Afghan Taliban fight against the US and we should respect them. We shouldnot see them as bad people although they are being called insurgents. Theyare in a condition that we were in. We were fighting against the Russiansand they fight against the Americans,” Gailani said.