ISLAMABAD, Oct 1: Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has called for a multi-pronged regional diplomatic approach to address terrorism emanating from Afghan soil, saying the issue is not merely a bilateral matter between Pakistan and Afghanistan but a wider regional security challenge requiring a collective response.
Speaking at the keynote concluding session of the two-day “International Conference on Afghan Predicament and Trajectory to Peace”, organised by the International Parliamentarians Congress (IPC) in Islamabad, Senator Mushahid said Pakistan, Iran, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia should collectively explore practical mechanisms to deal with the Afghan security challenge.
He said Pakistan and Afghanistan could no longer afford further conflict, confrontation and instability in the region.
Senator Mushahid termed the Islamabad conference a productive and “first-of-its-kind” initiative focused on Afghanistan’s relations with Pakistan and other neighbours to find possible ways forward.
He noted that Senator Sitara Ayaz, Secretary General of the IPC and host of the conference, had accompanied him twice to Istanbul for a Track 1.5 dialogue with Afghan counterparts, organised with the facilitation of Turkish friends.
“Both sides, including the Afghan side, accepted that the core issue dividing Pakistan and Afghanistan is the issue of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil, which is destabilising not only Pakistan but other neighbours of Afghanistan as well,” he said.
Senator Mushahid emphasised that despite differences with the regime in Kabul, Pakistan’s relationship with the people of Afghanistan should remain paramount.
Referring to the declaration adopted at the dialogue, he said a people-centric approach should ensure that links involving businessmen, traders, medical tourism and students from Afghanistan were not undermined.
He recalled that Pakistan had been a generous host to Afghan refugees for four decades, hosting the largest number of refugees for the longest duration. He said historical and people-to-people bonds, particularly in trade and education, between the two countries should not be allowed to suffer because of political differences.
Senator Mushahid also referred to recent remarks by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who described Pakistan and Afghanistan as “inseparable brothers,” saying a similar sentiment had been conveyed by Turkish interlocutors during the Istanbul dialogue.
He said there were indications of a possible opening from Kabul. Referring to Pakistani journalists who had recently returned from Kabul, he said they had informed him about a meeting with Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.
“According to these journalists, there is a glimmer of hope from the regime in Kabul. The regime is keen to find some way forward. They recognise the problem of terrorism and want to establish some mechanism with Pakistan to take this issue forward through dialogue and resolve it,” he said.
Senator Mushahid stressed that Afghanistan’s security situation had implications extending well beyond Pakistan.
“This is not simply an issue between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is a regional security issue,” he said, noting that terrorism and violent extremism emanating from Afghanistan would impact Pakistan, Iran, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia, as there were Kabul-based militant groups targeting these countries as well.
He pointed to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) as an existing institutional mechanism that could contribute to addressing regional security challenges emanating from Afghanistan.
Senator Mushahid cautioned against allowing the region to become embroiled in another cycle of conflict, especially after the failed wars of aggression by India against Pakistan and by the US and Israel against Iran.
He said Pakistan and the wider region had been affected by geopolitical competition since 9/11 and urged regional countries to learn from the consequences of the post-9/11 period.
He maintained that the peoples of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran were all victims of geopolitics, adding that now was the time for Afghanistan to be part of the solution rather than remaining part of the problem.
He said sustainable peace in Afghanistan was also essential for Pakistan’s vision to emerge as a hub of regional connectivity, and highlighted the role of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan’s broader regional connectivity vision.
