Afghanistan Prez Ashraf Ghani thanks India for 'supporting' country's democratic process

On Thursday, President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani thanked India for congratulating him on securing a second term as the Afghanistan President and supporting the country's democratic process. On February 18, Ghani won the Afghanistan Presidential elections and claimed the victory with a significant lead of 50.64 percent votes, followed by Abdullah Abdullah with 39.52 percent votes.  

Read: Afghanistan: Ashraf Ghani wins presidential poll in preliminary results

India congratulates Afghanistan 

Post his decisive victory, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) congratulated the President on his re-election in a statement saying, "We congratulate President Dr. Ashraf Ghani on his re-election following the announcement of final results of the Presidential elections by the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan." 

Read: Ashraf Ghani wins second term but opponent Abdullah declares himself winner

"India supports the democratic aspirations of the people of Afghanistan and remains committed to continue to work with the new Government and the democratic polity in strengthening our bilateral strategic partnership in fighting the scourge of externally sponsored terrorism and for an enduring and inclusive national peace and reconciliation which is Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled," read the statement.

Read: Ashraf Ghani secures second term as President of Afghanistan

The MEA statement also added, "We hope that the new Government and all political leaders in Afghanistan would work to strengthen national unity, promote inclusivity and protect the rights and interests of all sections of society." 

Ghani thawing ice with Taliban? 

Ghani's massive election win comes as Afghanistan is making progress with the Taliban for peace talks with regards to bringing a “significant and enduring reduction in violence”. Ghani has claimed to manage the next steps in a way that would “positively” support the overall peace. Even after the United States claimed that its peace accord with the Taliban is “very close”, there has not been any decrease in the intensity of insurgency operations.

According to international reports, the Taliban fighters attacked the Afghan government forces overnight and the militant commanders said on February 17 that such operations would continue until they receive new orders from their leadership based on the deal signed with the US to reduce violence in the region. 

Read: Venkaiah Naidu meets Afghan Prez Ashraf Ghani during NAM summit