Daily Times

Earlier, this month, Russia hosted the 6th meeting of the Moscow Format of Consultation on Afghanistan with the participation of special representatives and senior officials from Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan is a regional platform on Afghanistan which was launched in 2017 and it has since become a regular platform for discussion of challenges facing impoverished, war-torn Afghanistan.

During the meeting, the participants not only unanimously reiterated their commitment to continue providing humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan but also called on the world community to ramp up humanitarian aid irrespective of their political rifts with the Taliban government. The sides showed deep interest in initiating regional infrastructure projects in cooperation with the Taliban government, reaffirming their support for Afghanistan’s development as an independent, unified and peaceful state.

Due to the persistent non-cooperation of the Taliban government with Pakistan regarding security concerns, the threat of terrorism is rapidly metastasizing.

While the participants of the meeting showed unflinching support for the economic and humanitarian crisis Afghanistan is currently grappling with, they also demanded that the Taliban government take visible and non-discriminatory action against all the groups using Afghan soil for their malicious activities.

Three years after the Taliban’s accession to power and their pledges against their country becoming a launching pad for terrorism, the security situation has worsened since. The Afghan Interim Government (AIG) shamelessly violated their Doha commitment, freed all the arrested terrorists and is actively providing them shelter and financial assistance. The situation is further complicated due to the terror groups getting their hands on the trove of weapons left behind by the NATO forces which has enhanced their operational capabilities manifold.

Despite assurances from the Taliban about their commitment to combat terrorism, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and al-Qaeda continue to thrive in Afghanistan, using the country as a secure base to regroup and plan operations, undermining regional and global security efforts. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) is also gaining strength, launching increasingly sophisticated attacks across the region, which not only threaten Afghanistan’s immediate neighbours but also contribute to broader instability in South and Central Asia. Despite irrefutable evidence, the AIG consistently deny the presence of any kind of terror elements on their soil.

The Taliban government must understand that the long-term progress of their country and the welfare of their people is connected to their alignment. Instead of joining hands with the proxies serving the hegemonic interests of foreign elements, they must work towards the stability and peace of the region. The contemporary world order and diplomacy believe in transactional relationships. It is unrealistic to expect economic, diplomatic and humanitarian aid while simultaneously patronizing the elements spreading anarchy in the region.

Due to the persistent non-cooperation of the Taliban government with Pakistan regarding security concerns, the threat of terrorism is rapidly metastasizing into an existential threat for Pakistan. The world community and the Afghan Government need to realize that Pakistan might be left with no option but to conduct full-fledged aerial operations against the terrorist havens in Afghanistan which will have implications for the whole region. If a situation like that materializes, the Taliban government and the world community will have no one to blame but themselves.

The writer is a freelance columnist.