ISLAMABAD, October 1: Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has called for a multi-pronged regional diplomatic approach to tackle terrorism emanating from Afghan soil as this is not merely a bilateral issue between Pakistan and Afghanistan, but a wider regional security challenge requiring a collective response from Afghanistan’s neighbors.
He has called for Pakistan, Iran, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia to collectively explore practical mechanisms for addressing the Afghan security challenge.
He made these remarks during his Keynote Concluding session at the two-day “International Conference on Afghan Predicament and Trajectory to Peace”, organized by the International Parliamentarians Congress (IPC) in Islamabad. Senator Mushahid Hussain said Pakistan and Afghanistan could no longer afford further conflict, confrontation and instability in the region.
He said the International Conference in Islamabad had been a productive, “first-of-its-kind” initiative focusing on Afghanistan’s relations with Pakistan and other neighbors to find possible ways forward. He noted that Senator Sitara Ayaz, who, as Secretary General of IPC hosted the conference, had accompanied him to participate twice in a Track 1.5 Dialogue in Istanbul with Afghan counterparts, organized 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 destabilizing not only Pakistan but other neighbors of Afghanistan as well,” he said.
Senator Mushahid emphasized 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, adding that the historical and people-to-people bonds, particularly trade and education, between the two countries should not be allowed to suffer because of political differences.
Senator Mushahid Hussain also referred to recent remarks by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi describing Pakistan and Afghanistan as “inseparable brothers,” saying that 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 the journalists had informed about 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.
He 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.
Senator Mushahid Hussain pointed towards the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) as an existing institutional mechanism that could contribute to addressing the regional security challenges emanating from Afghanistan.
Senator Mushahid Hussain cautioned against allowing the region to become embroiled in another cycle of conflict, especially after the failed wars of aggression of India against Pakistan and US and Israel against Iran.
He argued that 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, and now is 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.
He also highlighted the role of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan’s broader regional connectivity vision.