Pakistan has consistently reminded the international community of the festering Afghan crisis and how terror outfits are playing havoc in the region. This point was once again reiterated by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the SCO Foreign Ministers' Council meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, as he warned that the region is on the verge of a catastrophe. The ground reality is that outlawed entities are regrouping, and Kabul, unfortunately, has failed to act against them.
Regional states, as well as the UN and several think tanks, have time and again documented the presence of Al-Qaeda, ISKP, TTP, and other terrorist entities inside Afghanistan that are acting with impunity across borders to further their nefarious designs. If such a clear threat is ignored by the comity of nations, it manifests a short-sighted realpolitik of grave concern and could collectively have a devastating impact. Dar, while citing over 560 civilian deaths in more than 2,000 terror incidents this year, called for a strengthened counterterrorism mechanism for South and Central Asia.
It is here that commitments made by member states have not yet been honoured. This is not only Pakistan's problem; this terror nexus has now spread into Central Asia and beyond. The onus is on the Taliban rulers to honour their commitments in line with the 2020 Doha Accord.
That is the only way to ensure durable peace and stability in the region. Unless Pakistan and other neighbouring states are insulated from the terrorism emanating from Afghan soil, nothing will change for the better. It must be remembered that multi-billion-dollar projects such as CASA-1000, TAPI, the BRI and several transnational railway initiatives remain in limbo owing to the instability in Afghanistan.
This has squarely hampered the progression of geo-economics for a combined populace of around two billion people. Pakistan rightly took the opportunity to spell out at the SCO forum that regional intransigence is a threat to the solidarity and sovereignty of member states, warning against those who exploit instability to impose their hegemony. India's unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and Kabul's snub to diplomatic treaties are cases in point.
Summary from source