ISLAMABAD, October 1: Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has urged Afghanistan’s neighbours to adopt a collective regional diplomatic approach to deal with terrorism emanating from Afghan soil, saying the issue is not confined to Pakistan and Afghanistan but has wider security implications for the entire region.
Speaking at the keynote concluding session of the two-day “International Conference on Afghan Predicament and Trajectory to Peace” in Islamabad, organised by the International Parliamentarians Congress (IPC), Senator Mushahid said regional diplomacy, rather than conflict, was the way forward.
He called upon Pakistan, Iran, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia to jointly explore practical mechanisms to address the Afghan security challenge.
Senator Mushahid said Pakistan and Afghanistan could not afford more confrontation, conflict and instability. He described the Islamabad conference as a productive and “first-of-its-kind” initiative focused on Afghanistan’s relations with Pakistan and other neighbouring countries to identify possible ways ahead.
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, held 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 stressed that despite differences with the regime in Kabul, Pakistan’s relationship with the Afghan people must 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 Afghan students were not undermined.
He recalled that Pakistan had hosted Afghan refugees for four decades, providing refuge to the largest number of refugees for the longest duration. He said historical and people-to-people bonds, particularly in trade and education, should not be allowed to suffer due to political differences.
Senator Mushahid also referred to recent remarks by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who described Pakistan and Afghanistan as “inseparable brothers”. He said a similar sentiment had also 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 about meeting 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 said the security situation in Afghanistan carried consequences beyond Pakistan. “This is not simply an issue between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is a regional security issue,” he said.
He said terrorism and violent extremism emanating from Afghanistan could affect Pakistan, Iran, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia, as Kabul-based militant groups were also targeting these countries.
He pointed to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) as an existing institutional mechanism that could help address regional security challenges linked to Afghanistan.
Senator Mushahid warned against allowing the region to be drawn into another cycle of conflict, especially after what he described as 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 draw lessons 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 it was now time for Afghanistan to become part of the solution rather than remain part of the problem.
Senator Mushahid said sustainable peace in Afghanistan was essential for Pakistan’s vision of becoming a hub of regional connectivity. He also highlighted the role of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan’s broader regional connectivity plans.
