ISLAMABAD     -     The Fourth Ministerial Conference of Afghanistan’s Neighboring Coun­tries held in Samarkand on Thurs­day pointed out that the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan continued to pose threats to region­al peace – a stance Pakistan has long been advocating.

“The Parties pointed out that all terrorist groups, namely the Islam­ic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Al-Qaeda, the Eastern Turkistan Is­lamic Movement (ETIM), the Tehr­ik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Ba­lochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Jundallah, Jaish al-Adl, Jamaat Ansa­rullah, the Islamic Movement of Uz­bekistan (IMU), and other terrorist organisations based in Afghanistan continue to pose a serious threat to regional and global security,” ac­cording to the declaration of the neighboring countries meeting.

Recently, in its report, Radio Free Europe also said that after the Unit­ed States pulled out its troops from Afghanistan, it left behind military equipment and weapons worth $7 billion which later boosted the mili­tary capabilities of the banned Tahr­ik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Ba­loch separatist groups.

According to the report, the US left behind weapons and equip­ment including firearms, commu­nications gear, and even armored vehicles which gave the militants a “vast war chest.”

Attended by the foreign ministers and senior officials of China, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turk­menistan and Uzbekistan, the neigh­boring countries’ meeting noted that the terrorism-related security situa­tion in Afghanistan was still severe and reaffirmed their commitment to enhance cooperation on count­er-terrorism and security among neighboring countries and to devel­op a united front against terrorism.

Pakistan always maintained that the success of any regional or inter­national effort to mitigate the cur­rent situation of Afghanistan will re­main subject to IAG’s seriousness for ensuring that Afghan soil is not used against any country.

Since the Taliban takeover, Pa­kistan also called for the estab­lishment of an inclusive political structure, the adoption of moder­ate domestic and foreign policies, and safeguarding basic rights of all Afghans, including ethnic groups, women and children.

The Afghan authorities would also have to take visible steps to en­sure that Afghanistan would never again serve as a breeding ground, safe haven or source of prolifera­tion for terrorism.

“Terrorism is a common enemy and peace and stability is a collective responsibility. Any action by IAG to rein in anti-Pakistan elements and not to let Afghan soil against Paki­stan would strengthen brotherly re­lations between the two countries,” a security analyst said.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, who also ad­dressed the meeting said, “We also believe that more needs to be done to eradicate the foothold of terror­ist organizations from Afghanistan, without distinction and in a concert­ed and uniform manner. Greater co­operation and coordination with the interim Afghan Government re­mains critical. We look forward to working closely with the neighbour­ing states and the international com­munity to this end.”

She said the menace of terrorism continued to blight the lives of Af­ghan people on a daily basis and the threat posed by terrorist organiza­tions to the neighbouring states and the region, had accentuated.