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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and other regional powers on Tuesday called on Afghanistan to take “comprehensive measures” to eliminate terrorism from its soil and prevent it from being used as a threat to neighboring countries, according to a joint statement issued after the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan.

The seventh round of the Moscow Format, held in the Russian capital, brought together special representatives and senior officials from Pakistan, China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, along with an Afghan delegation led by interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who participated as a full member for the first time.

Pakistan’s participation comes at a time of strained relations between Islamabad and Kabul, marked by rising militant attacks that Pakistan says are being launched from Afghan territory. The Taliban government denies it backs militant groups. 

Islamabad has nonetheless continued diplomatic engagement with the Taliban administration since the group’s return to power in August 2021, keeping its embassy in Kabul open and hosting multiple high-level delegations, including Muttaqi himself. The two sides have also held recent trilateral meetings with China focused on expanding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan and improving trade and regional connectivity. Pakistani officials have said they seek a “pragmatic relationship” with Taliban authorities based on counterterrorism, border security, and economic cooperation.

“The parties emphasized that Afghanistan should be supported to undertake comprehensive measures aimed at the elimination of terrorism and its eradication within a short timeframe so that Afghan soil is not used as a threat to the security of the neighboring countries and beyond,” the joint statement released after the consultations said.

It added that participating countries reaffirmed their “unwavering support for the establishment of Afghanistan as an independent, united and peaceful state,” while urging closer regional cooperation to strengthen counterterrorism coordination and humanitarian assistance.

All participating countries expressed interest in developing economic, trade and investment partnerships with Afghanistan to promote sustainable development, health care, agriculture, and poverty alleviation. They also voiced support for Afghanistan’s integration into regional connectivity frameworks.

Participants urged the international community to continue providing humanitarian aid to the Afghan people and called “unacceptable the attempts by countries to deploy their military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighboring states,” saying such moves would not serve regional peace or stability.

The Moscow Format, established in 2017, is one of the most prominent regional mechanisms for dialogue on Afghanistan, bringing together neighboring states and major stakeholders to coordinate policy on security, economic development, and humanitarian cooperation. 

QUETTA: Gunmen this week kidnapped a senior judge and set fire to a lower court in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, police said on Tuesday.

The attack took place in the Maskan Kalat area of Kharan district while court hearings were underway. Armed men stormed the premises, ransacked records, destroyed furniture and briefly held court staff hostage before abducting Judge Qazi Ahmed Jan, according to police.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least-developed province, has for years faced a separatist insurgency that has intensified recently, with militants increasingly targeting security personnel, government offices, infrastructure and non-local residents.

In the latest attack, unidentified gunmen attacked the court on Monday morning, Deputy Inspector General of Police Abdul Haye Amir Baloch said.

“The gunmen set the court on fire and kidnapped a senior judge Qazi Ahmed Jan while he was inside the court and hearing the proceedings,” Baloch told Arab News.

“Search operation is continuing for the safe recovery of the kidnapped judge,” he added. “Police and other law enforcement agencies are pursuing the kidnappers.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and it is unclear if it was a militant attack.

This is not the first time a judge has been abducted in Pakistan. Last year, suspected militants kidnapped Judge Shakirullah Marwat in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province while he was traveling from his hometown to Dera Ismail Khan. Marwat was later released. 

Islamabad has for years accused India of supporting militant groups to foment unrest in Pakistan, an allegation New Delhi denies.

Balochistan, rich in minerals and home to key China-Pakistan Economic Corridor routes and projects, has seen several high-profile attacks this year, including the hijacking of a passenger train in March and a May suicide bombing in Khuzdar that killed several children traveling to school.