The security belt proposal echoes Pakistan’s concerns

The Afghan interim government has failed to uphold its Doha commitment to preventing the terrorists from using Afghan soil for their anti-peace activities.

Of particular concern is their stance on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which they refuse to designate as a terrorist organisation despite international concerns. 

The United Nations' July 2024 monitoring reports have fully endorsed Pakistan’s claims of TTP presence in Afghanistan and termed it as a threat to the peace and security of the entire region.

According to a United Nations monitoring report, the banned outfit enjoys the backing of the Taliban regime and support from Al Qaeda.

The growing nature of the threat from terrorist networks and Kabul's non-cooperation has compelled regional countries for security measures. The latest development in this context is the proposal of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) for establishing a security belt around Afghanistan. 

The CIS Executive Committee is part of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a regional intergovernmental association in Eurasia. The CIS was formed in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The CIS's objective is to fortify collaboration among its member states in a variety of areas, including political, economic, environmental, humanitarian, and cultural.

While presenting the proposal in a meeting in Moscow on November 8, the CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev stated that CIS Executive Committee has fully supported the proposal of the CSTO secretariat for establishing a joint working group to develop a joint comprehensive plan for the creation of a security belt around Afghanistan. 

The security belt will help in controlling terrorism from Afghanistan by dismantling the narco-terror nexus of terrorists, smugglers and illegal immigrants operating from the Afghan side. 

The concept of a security belt around Afghanistan was announced by the Tajik President, Emomali Rakhmon, at a special CSTO summit in January 2022. The fear of terrorism spreading from Afghanistan is not only limited to Pakistan, rather it has created security threats for the entire region. 

Pakistan has not only consistently voiced concerns about the increase in cross-border terrorism since the Taliban claimed power but also took concrete measures to address its security concerns. One such measure includes heavily investing in fencing its own border with Afghanistan. 

Taking a leaf from Pakistan, Iran has also decided to construct a 295 km long wall along its border with Afghanistan. This step echoes Pakistan’s long-standing stance regarding Afghanistan being the hotbed of terrorism. 

With regional countries now united in their assessment of the threat emanating from Afghanistan, it is crucial that the members of CIS collectively work towards materialising the security belt proposal put forward in the recent meeting.

Only through sincere and concerted efforts can the menace of terrorism be completely eliminated.