Former Pakistani Senator Proposes Seven-Nation Coalition to Address Afghan Security Challenges

DID Press: Former Pakistani Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has proposed a seven-country regional framework to address security challenges and cross-border instability linked to Afghanistan.

Speaking at the International Conference on Afghanistan’s Situation and Path to Peace in Islamabad, Sayed proposed cooperation among Pakistan, Iran, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia to develop practical mechanisms for addressing Afghanistan-related security challenges.

Sayed called for replacing war rhetoric with active regional diplomacy and strengthening people-to-people ties. He said lasting peace in Afghanistan was important to Pakistan’s ambition to become a regional hub for trade, transit and energy connectivity with Central Asia.

He said political differences should not damage economic, educational and medical ties between the peoples of Pakistan and Afghanistan, noting Pakistan’s decades-long hosting of Afghan refugees.Sayed identified what he described as terrorism emanating from Afghan soil as the core issue dividing Islamabad and Kabul.

He said, citing journalists who recently visited Afghanistan, that authorities in Kabul were willing to explore dialogue and a joint mechanism with Pakistan to address the issue. This remains a claim attributed to Sayed and was not independently established by the conference report.

Russian Professor Vladimir Sotnikov also proposed establishing a “Peace Board” comprising Russia and Afghanistan’s six neighbours to develop a collective strategy for combating terrorism.

Sayed further cited a Brown University study in saying that the United States spent about $2.2 trillion in Afghanistan between October 2001 and August 2021 and left behind weapons and ammunition valued at more than $7 billion. He urged regional countries to draw lessons from the post-9/11 period and avoid another prolonged conflict in Afghanistan.