By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Major regional powers including Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran and India issued a joint statement, calling for “no foreign military presence” in Afghanistan, emphasising the need to respect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as part of broader efforts to stabilise the region.
The declaration, released after a meeting under the Moscow Format in the Russian capital, came weeks after President Donald Trump said on Sept. 18 that the United States was “trying to get [Bagram] back” due to its strategic location near China. The Soviet-built air base had served as the central hub for US military operations in Afghanistan until the chaotic withdrawal in 2021 that marked the end of two decades of American involvement in the war-ravaged nation.
“Participants emphasised that there should be no foreign military presence in Afghanistan and its neighboring countries under any pretext,” the Moscow Format statement said.“We reaffirmed our support for Afghanistan as an independent, united, sovereign, and peaceful state, free from external interference.”
The statement avoided directly naming the United States or referencing Trump’s comments on Bagram. The seventh round of the Moscow Format consultations gathered special representatives and senior officials from Pakistan, China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, alongside an Afghan delegation led by interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who joined as a full member for the first time.
Beyond the military presence issue, the nations pressed Afghanistan to implement “comprehensive measures” to root out terrorism from its territory. “The territory of Afghanistan must not be used to threaten or attack any country or shelter terrorist groups,” the statement said.
Pakistan’s involvement in the forum unfolds against a backdrop of tense relations with Kabul, fueled by escalating militant attacks that Islamabad attributes to groups operating from Afghan soil. The Taliban government has denied supporting such militants. Despite the strains, Islamabad has sustained diplomatic ties with the Taliban regime since its August 2021 takeover, maintaining its embassy in Kabul and welcoming several high-level delegations, including Muttaqi. Recent trilateral discussions with China have centered on extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan to boost trade and regional connectivity.
Pakistani officials have described their approach as seeking a “pragmatic relationship” with Taliban authorities, anchored in counterterrorism, border security and economic collaboration.“The parties emphasised that Afghanistan should be supported to undertake comprehensive measures aimed at the elimination of terrorism and its eradication within a short timeframe so that Afghan soil is not used as a threat to the security of the neighboring countries and beyond,” the joint statement said.
In a separate development, Pakistan’s Special Representative on Afghanistan, Muhammad Sadiq Khan, posted on X about a quadrilateral meeting involving Pakistan, China, Russia and Iran held on the sidelines of the forum. “A particular point of concern was the continued presence of designated terrorist organisations, such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Jaish ul-Adl (JUA), Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Al-Qaeda,” Khan said.
He noted that participants voiced alarm over the presence of these designated terror groups in Afghanistan, stressing the imperative for an Afghanistan devoid of “terrorism” and foreign interference.
All participating countries signaled interest in forging economic, trade and investment ties with Afghanistan to advance sustainable development, health care, agriculture and poverty reduction. The nations further called on the international community to sustain humanitarian assistance for Afghans and deemed “unacceptable the attempts by countries to deploy their military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighboring states,” warning that such actions would undermine regional peace and stability.
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