At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Thursday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the presence of terrorism in Afghanistan as a major concern for member states.
Speaking at the session held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, Sharif called for the “meaningful” engagement of SCO members with the Taliban. He stressed the importance of maintaining regional peace as a prerequisite for economic development.
Sharif urged the Taliban to “take concrete measures” to ensure Afghanistan’s soil is not used for terrorism against other states. “Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism, must be condemned in clear and unambiguous terms,” he said, according to Pakistan’s Dawn media.
The Prime Minister described peace in Afghanistan as the “lynchpin” for ensuring regional stability. He emphasized that the international community must meaningfully engage with the Afghan government to address their genuine economic and development needs.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of supporting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), though the Taliban have denied these allegations, terming them an internal issue of Pakistan.
