Islamabad Researcher: Russia Could Help Resolve Afghanistan-Pakistan Tensions

DID Press: Russia has the capacity to play an effective role in easing tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan by maintaining relations and communication channels with both Kabul and Islamabad, a senior researcher at the Islamabad Institute of Strategic Studies says.

Muhammad Taimur Fahd Khan, a senior researcher at the institute, told Russian media that Moscow has a suitable platform for advancing regional dialogue through its working contacts with both sides and mechanisms such as the Moscow Format, the Troika and the Troika Plus.

He said Russia’s recognition of the Taliban government as Afghanistan’s official authorities has also created a special channel of communication between Moscow and the Taliban administration.

Khan stressed that Russia also has a strategic interest in resolving the dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan, as instability in Afghanistan could threaten the security of Central Asia and disrupt trade and transit routes connecting South Asia with the Eurasian region.

He also described Pakistan’s chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a new opportunity for Moscow and Islamabad to coordinate their efforts on regional security.

At the same time, Khan said the success of any mediation effort would depend on whether it could address Islamabad’s main concern: receiving concrete and verifiable measures from Kabul to prevent Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan.

Earlier, Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special presidential representative for Afghanistan, said Moscow was ready to provide any assistance requested by the two sides to help end the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan.