ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, China, Russia and Iran have urged Afghanistan to take “effective, concrete, and verifiable actions” to dismantle militants groups operating on its soil, according to a joint statement issued after a quadripartite meeting in New York.
Officials of the four countries met on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session and reaffirmed their support for Afghanistan as an independent and peaceful state “free from terrorism, war and narcotics,” but underlined the need to prevent militants from using its territory.
Pakistan, China, Russia and Iran have been holding quadripartite consultations on Afghanistan since 2017, which aim to promote regional stability and coordinate efforts to counter militancy, narcotics and extremism. The grouping seeks to facilitate political dialogue and regional economic integration in Afghanistan.
“The four sides expressed deep concern over the security situation related to terrorism in Afghanistan, noting that terrorist groups such as ISIL, Al-Qaeda, the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jaish Al-Adl, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and other similar groups in the region including Majeed Brigade, as well as others, based in Afghanistan, continue to pose a serious threat to regional and global security,” the statement said.
“They emphasized that strengthening peace and stability in Afghanistan and countering the threats of terrorism, radicalism, and drug crime emanating from its territory are in line with their common interests in the region.”
There was no immediate response to the statement by Kabul.
The development comes amid a surge in militancy in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces, which border Afghanistan, with a majority of attacks claimed by the TTP and Baloch separatist groups like the BLA. Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil for militant attacks against Pakistan, Kabul denies it.
Meanwhile, the Jaish Al-Adl (Arabic for ‘Army of Justice’), a Baloch militant group operating from the borderlands between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, mainly the Sistan-Baluchestan triangle, has claimed several attacks on Iranian security forces this year.
“The four sides urged the Afghan authorities to take effective, concrete and verifiable actions in fulfilling the international obligations and commitments made by Afghanistan to fight terrorism, and dismantle, and eliminate all terrorist groups, and to prevent recruitment, fundraising and their access to weapons, as well as their collaboration with foreign terrorist fighters,” the quadripartite statement said.
“The four sides further urged the Afghan authorities to dismantle any terrorist training camps or any other terrorist infrastructure on their soil.”
Pakistan, China, Russia and Iran also urged Afghan authorities to create conditions that facilitate the return of Afghan refugees to their homeland, prevent further migration, and take serious measures to ensure returnees’ livelihoods and reintegration into political and social processes to achieve a lasting solution.
“The four sides expressed appreciation for the regional countries, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan, for hosting millions of Afghan refugees. They urged the international community and donors to provide, adequate, predictable, regular, and sustainable financial support and other necessary assistance, in line with the principle of international responsibility and burden sharing, for time-bound and well-resourced repatriation of refugees back to Afghanistan,” it added.
