ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and other regional countries on Friday urged Afghanistan’s government to take effective measures to dismantle militant groups in the country, a statement from the Moscow Format Consultations forum said.
The Moscow Format Consultations was launched in 2016 with the aim to promote political reconciliation between the then-Afghan government of Ashraf Ghani and the Taliban, who were at war against Afghan security forces and the US-led forces in the country.
The fifth meeting of the format was held in Russia’s Kazan city and featured special representatives and senior officials from China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister attended the meeting which also featured representatives of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Türkiye as guests of honor.
The group met to discuss some of Afghanistan’s most pressing issues such as militancy, the formation of an inclusive government, and freedom for women and minorities in the country.
“[All parties] called on the current Afghan authorities to take effective measures to dismantle, eliminate and prevent the placement of all sorts of terrorist groups based in Afghanistan,” the statement said. “And to prevent the country from being the terrorism and instability hotspot and spreading to the regional states.”
Participants also urged Afghanistan to enhance cooperation with regional countries in the fight against militancy and drug trafficking that they said was emanating from Afghanistan.
The forum noted that “no progress” had been made in forming an inclusive government in Afghanistan that reflected the interests of all ethnopolitical groups in the country. It called on the interim government to establish a “practical, outcome-oriented dialogue” with representatives of alternative ethnopolitical groups.
The Moscow Format Consultations urged Afghan authorities to forge a balanced, more broad-based, inclusive, accountable, and responsible government in Afghanistan.
It called on Afghanistan’s government to provide equal work and education opportunities regardless of discrimination with regard to gender and religion.
“[The participants] stressed upon their concern about imposed restrictions on women’s employment and girls’ education,” the statement said. “Urged the current Afghan authorities to promote the modern education in the schools conforming to international standards.”
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained ever since the Taliban captured Kabul in August 2021. Pakistan has seen a steep rise in attacks in its western regions, especially those bordering Afghanistan, which Islamabad blames on militants based in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan denies its soil is used by militants to launch attacks against other countries.
‘Moscow Format’: Pakistan, regional countries call on Afghanistan to ‘dismantle’ militant groups
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‘Moscow Format’: Pakistan, regional countries call on Afghanistan to ‘dismantle’ militant groups
- Representatives from Pakistan, China, India, Iran, Russia, and other countries meet in Russia’s Kazan city
- Participants urge Afghanistan’s authorities to provide more freedom to women, form inclusive government
Pakistan accuses India of manipulating Chenab flows, seeks clarification under Indus Waters Treaty
- Foreign office spokesperson says sudden variations in river flows threaten agriculture, food security and livelihoods downstream
- He also condemns a niqab-removal incident in India, calling it part of a broader pattern of religious intolerance and Islamophobia
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday it had observed abrupt variations in the flow of the River Chenab during the ongoing month, accusing India of manipulating river flows at a critical point in the agricultural cycle and saying it had written to New Delhi seeking clarification.
Local media reported quoted Pakistani officials as saying India released about 58,000 cusecs of water at Head Marala on Dec. 7–8 before sharply reducing flows to roughly 870–1,000 cusecs through Dec. 17, far below the 10-year historical average of 4,000–10,000 cusecs for this period.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi told a weekly media briefing in Islamabad India had failed to share prior information or operational data on the Chenab flows, a practice he said New Delhi had previously followed under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. New Delhi said earlier this year it had put the treaty “in abeyance” following a gun attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that it blamed on Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denied, calling instead for an impartial and transparent international investigation.
Pakistan also described India’s unilateral suspension of the treaty as a violation of international law and an “act of war.”
“Pakistan would like to reiterate that the Indus Waters Treaty is a binding international agreement, which has been an instrument of peace and security and stability in the region,” Andrabi said. “Its breach or violation, on one hand, threatens the inviolability of international treaties in compliance with international law, and on the other hand, it poses serious threats to regional peace, principles of good neighborliness, and norms governing interstate relations.”
Andrabi said Pakistan viewed the sudden variations in the Chenab’s flow with “extreme concern and seriousness,” saying the country’s Indus Waters Commissioner had written to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification in line with procedures outlined in the treaty.
“Any manipulation of river flow by India, especially at a critical time of our agricultural cycle, directly threatens the lives and livelihoods, as well as food and economic security of our citizens,” he continued. “We call upon India to respond to the queries raised by Pakistan.”
He said Pakistan had fulfilled its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty and urged the international community to take note of India’s “continued disregard” of a bilateral treaty and to counsel New Delhi to act responsibly under international law.
Andrabi maintained Pakistan remained committed to peaceful resolution of disputes with India but would not compromise on its water rights.
In the same briefing, he also condemned an incident in which the chief minister of the Indian state of Bihar was seen in a video forcibly removing the niqab of a Muslim woman during a public interaction, followed by remarks by a minister in Uttar Pradesh who mocked the episode, saying it reflected a broader pattern of religious intolerance and Islamophobia and warranted strong condemnation.
