Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly opened the 6th Heart of Asia ministerial conference on Sunday in Amritsar city in the northwestern Indian state of Punjab.

In his address to delegates, Ghani said the summit takes place during an extremely important time and that it will hopefully help to prepare for 2017 and beyond.

Ghani said that last year, Afghanistan suffered its highest number of casualties to date and that "this is unacceptable".

He said the undeclared war against Afghanistan had significantly increased in 2016 – especially after the Brussels Summit, in October.

He said that close to 30 terrorist groups, as named by the United Nations, were trying to establish a base in Afghanistan.

He also warned that the response of states to the threat of terrorism has been fragmented and some still provide sanctuary or support to these groups.

“As Mr. Kakazada, one of the key figures in the Taliban movement recently said, if they did not have sanctuary in Pakistan, they would not last a month. We need intense dialogue and engagement,” Ghani said. 

He said there was a need to first “tackle criminal economics, we need to convene at the Asian and regional way and document who benefits from producing, processing, trafficking and consuming; this requires an international effort without blame game to be able to uproot the basis of this phenomenon. 

“Second, we propose an Asian and international regime. Whatever is accepted, particularly, to our neighbor Pakistan to verify cross-frontier activities. We do not want blame game. We want verification. 

“Thirdly, there is need for a fund to combat extremism. Pakistan has generously pledged 500 million dollars for reconstruction of Afghanistan. This fund, Mr. (Sartaj) Aziz (de facto foreign minister for Pakistan), could very well be used for containing extremism because without peace any amount of assistance will not meet the needs of our people. We have to balance the opportunities and the threats. I am confident that focused, deliberate and systematic efforts can enable us to win a world and to make Afghanistan and Asia secure.” 

On the issue of security, Ghani said: “At the heart of the problem are the nature, scale and scope of the fifth wave of political violence and terrorism. As the frontline society and polity confronting this wave, we have paid and are paying a huge price in lost lives and denied opportunities. Last year we suffered the highest number of civilian casualties and military related deaths in the world. This is unacceptable. It can be avoided. It is not unavoidable.”

Judging by the previous four waves of violence, covering the period from the 1860s to 1990’s, confronting this wave requires a strategy of 10-20 years, as acknowledged by the Australian Defense Policy, he said.

Ghani stated that "criminal networks provide the platform for criminal activity," and cited drug smuggling and human trafficking as two such examples.

In his speech Ghani also talked on the issue of connectivity and the importance of Afghanistan's geographical location in this respect.

He thanked India for all its assistance regarding this and said the "independent states in central Asia have demonstrated the importance of connectivity."

He said the first consignment from China, via rail to Hairatan in September, was an example of what is still to come.

He said with such links, including that of the new Aqina link from Uzbekistan, reduction in the cost of transport will enable Afghanistan to bring visible changes to the lives of the people.

Ghani said the soon to be launched air-cargo link between Afghanistan and India will open new markets for traders.

He said: "This connectivity can lift our people out of poverty."

Meanwhile, Modi said in turn that India's focus remains on helping Afghanistan.

He said his country was committed to securing Afghanistan's territory and its citizens from threats and insuring it has a prosperous future.

He said that despite the successes, there is still much that needs to be done and "we must build on the gains of the last 15 years".

Modi said an Afghan-led-and Afghan-owned peace process was the only way forward and that silence and inaction against terrorism in the country and the region will only embolden terrorists.

He also spoke of the importance of connectivity for Afghanistan to regional countries and said "we see Afghanistan as the hub to strengthening connectivity links between South Asia and Central Asia."

In conclusion he said: "Let us dedicate ourselves to making Afghanistan a geography of peace."

At least 40 countries are represented along with the European Union and international organizations at the summit.

The Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process was established to provide a platform to discuss regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political, and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighbors.