The trilateral meeting of Pakistan, China and Russia on Tuesday expressed concerns on the rise of extremist groups particularly the Islamic State (IS), also known as Daesh, in Afghanistan and also agreed to continue efforts towards facilitating Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process.
The third trilateral meeting among Pakistan, China and Russia, which was held in Moscow, also came up with a decision that Russia and China, being the permanent members of the UN Security Council, will make efforts for delisting members of the Afghan Taliban from the UN sanctions lists with a view to prepare a ground for peace talks between Afghan government and the warring groups.
According to a joint statement issued following the meeting and was also released to media here, the three sides exchanged views on the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and expressed particular concern regarding the increased activities of the extremist groups including the IS affiliates in the country. The participants agreed to continue their efforts towards further facilitating the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan in accordance with known principles of reintegration of the armed opposition into peaceful life.
"The Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China as the UN Security Council permanent members confirmed their flexible approach to delisting Afghan individuals from the UN sanctions lists as their contribution to the efforts aimed at launching peaceful dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban", stated the joint statement. The parties also agreed to proceed with consultations in an expanded format, and said they would welcome the participation of Afghanistan.
It was the third round of the trilateral consultations on regional issues of Special Representatives on Afghanistan and senior officials of Russia, China and Pakistan in which Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry led Pakistan's delegation. The participants also met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov. Afghanistan, however, has expressed concern at the meeting for not being consulted on the objectives of the talks. "Talking on Afghanistan without consulting the country raises serious questions for the Afghan people. We are worried about what the reasons behind the meeting are and want the relevant parties to explain," Afghan External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Ahmad Shekib Mustaghni quoted by the Afghan media as having said in response to the meeting.
Lieutenant General Talat Masood (Retd), a senior analyst, described the meeting of the three countries as an important development, saying the trilateral meeting was only meant for discussing the issue of Afghanistan but all the three countries are also important players of the region, having valid interests. He said that the three countries are particularly concerned over the spillover of the non-state actors and terrorists present in Afghanistan, adding they have their valid concerns to express given the vulnerability of security situations in Afghanistan. He pointed out while Pakistan already enjoys an excellent relation with China, one important aspect of the meeting is the expanding ties between Pakistan and Russia, which could benefit the region as a whole and Afghanistan in particular. "Afghanistan's concerns are unjustifiable, it can join the forum at any stage if it wants to do so, once the things get mature," he said.
He believed that Afghanistan is under the influence of the Indian government, saying this influence was evident in the recently held Heart of Asia Conference in Amritsar in which both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani criticised Pakistan instead of recognising its efforts for restoration of peace in the war-torn country. "Absolutely, it is India which is pushing Afghanistan against Pakistan. The Afghan spokesperson has become the mouthpiece of Indian spokesperson," the retired general said while referring to the statement by Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
Brigadier Asad Munir (Retd), however, said that the three countries can play an important role in preparing a ground for dialogue process between Afghan government and the Taliban. "There is also a possibility of the Taliban to have been taken on board prior the meeting or the group may have representation at any level in the talks," he opined. He, however, expressed his inability to understand the statement of the Afghan Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson, saying he believed that Afghan authorities might have been taken on board and the statement could be for public consumption.