ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has urged the interim Afghanistan government to take concrete action against all terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, stressing that lasting stability can only be achieved through region-led solutions.
The call was made during the Meeting of Special Representatives for Afghanistan of the Neighbouring Countries, plus Russia, hosted by Iran in Tehran on Sunday, to review the evolving situation in Afghanistan and broader regional security dynamics.
Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq, told the meeting that there was a shared assessment among participating countries that terrorism emanating from Afghan territory continues to pose a serious challenge to regional peace and stability.
He said the Afghan people had suffered immensely and deserved peace and economic recovery, stressing that the current authorities in Kabul needed to eliminate, without discrimination, all types of terrorist groups, Sadiq said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Ambassador Sadiq noted that only a terror-free Afghanistan would inspire confidence among neighboring and regional states to engage meaningfully with the country, helping unlock its economic potential and strengthen regional connectivity.
At the outset of the session, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, stated that imported solutions and external decision-making had failed to bring peace to Afghanistan, underscoring that neighbouring countries must play a central role in ensuring sustainable security, development, and regional integration, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
He said Afghanistan’s stability was vital not only for its own future but for the entire region, noting that the country’s geo-economic position connects Central, West, and South Asia.
Araghchi added that decades of foreign military intervention, including the NATO presence, did not deliver lasting peace due to excessive reliance on security-centric approaches and disregard for Afghanistan’s social and cultural realities.
“The lesson is clear: external prescriptions cannot resolve regional crises,” he said, calling for coordinated, neighbor-driven cooperation based on shared interests, collective security, and long-term development.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the gathering reflected ongoing consultations among neighboring countries to promote peace, reduce tensions, and enhance regional cohesion, adding that Iran places high importance on stability across its neighborhood.
.jpg)
.jpg)
