NEW DELHI: India reacted with shock to the killing of former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna describing him as a “powerful voice of reason and peace in Afghanistan”. On Tuesday evening, Rabbani, who is currently the chairman of the High Peace Council, was killed in a suicide bomb attack at his residence in Kabul. “I fondly recall my meetings with him in Kabul and again in New Delhi last July, when he had shared his vision of a harmonious and prosperous Afghanistan,” Krishna said.
Rabbani had led a 15-member delegation to India in mid-July, where he tried to soothe some of India’s fears regarding the reconciliation process.
Stating that he was “shocked” to hear the news, Krishna said, “Tragically, the forces of terror and hatred have silenced yet another powerful voice of reason and peace in Afghanistan. We unreservedly condemn this act of great brutality.”
Offering “deepest condolences” to Rabbani’s family and the Afghan people, he reiterated India’s “steadfast support” to Afghanistan’s “quest for peace and efforts to strengthen the roots of democracy”.