A ministerial meeting of the quadripartite group, comprising Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia, has expressed grave concern over security challenges stemming from terrorist organisations operating in Afghanistan.
The four nations urged the Afghan interim authorities to take “effective, concrete and verifiable measures” to dismantle all militant outfits, shut down training camps, cut off financing networks, and prevent recruitment and access to weapons.
In a joint statement issued after their fourth quadrilateral meeting on Afghanistan, held on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly session in New York on Friday, the ministers stressed that Afghan soil must not be used against neighbours or any other country.
The four-nation meeting joint statement comes days after Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, in his inaugural meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Afghanistan at UNGA this week, urged the Afghan interim government to take concrete and verifiable measures to ensure their soil is not used for terrorism against neighbouring countries, particularly Pakistan.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in cross-border terror incidents since Taliban rulers returned to Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan.
The two nations share a porous border spanning around 2,500 kilometres with several crossing points, which hold significance as a key element of regional trade and relations between the people across both sides of the border.
However, the issue of terrorism remains a key issue for Pakistan, which has urged Afghanistan to prevent its soil from being used by groups such as the TTP to carry out attacks inside the former’s territory.
The joint statement further reaffirmed support for Afghanistan as an “independent, united, and peaceful state, free from terrorism, war and narcotics.”
The four sides welcomed Kabul’s efforts to reduce opium cultivation but expressed alarm over the rise of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine.
On the refugee crisis, the ministers urged Kabul to enable conditions for the safe return of displaced Afghans, praising Pakistan and Iran for hosting large populations. They also reiterated calls for an inclusive political setup, women’s rights, and access to education and public life.
