Islamabad / Kabul / Moscow, — October 5, 2026 — Pakistan used the eighth Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan on Monday to press its case that terrorism originating from Afghan territory remains the central security challenge in relations between the two neighbours. Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, said Islamabad would continue taking what it described as necessary defensive measures to protect its citizens. (Dawn)
Speaking at the Moscow meeting, Sadiq said more than 4,700 Pakistanis had been killed over the past three years in what he described as terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. He accused the Taliban government of failing to take concrete and verifiable action against militant groups operating from Afghan soil, while saying Pakistan’s military operations were intelligence-based and directed at militant targets. (Dawn)
Sadiq said Pakistan considered its actions an exercise of self-defence under international law and described them as a measure of last resort. He also stressed that Islamabad continued to support a peaceful, stable and economically viable Afghanistan and wanted regional countries to address the sources of instability collectively. (Dawn)
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi gave a sharply different assessment of the dispute. He said Kabul wanted to resolve problems with Pakistan through dialogue, but accused Islamabad of pursuing a military approach toward Afghanistan. Muttaqi said Afghanistan considered defending itself against what it regards as aggression to be a legitimate right. (Pajhwok Afghan News)
The Taliban foreign minister also said the problems between Afghanistan and Pakistan could be addressed through diplomacy and open dialogue. His remarks came shortly after the latest Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, which have further strained relations between the two governments. (Reuters)
Russia hosted the meeting with representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, India, Iran and Central Asian states. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcomed the Taliban delegation and rejected any future deployment of NATO military infrastructure in Afghanistan or neighbouring countries, saying such a presence could increase instability in the region. (Amu TV)
The Moscow gathering therefore placed the worsening Pakistan-Afghanistan confrontation at the centre of a broader regional diplomatic discussion. Islamabad is seeking regional backing for its concerns over militant activity, while Kabul is pushing for political engagement and an end to Pakistani military operations.
Russia has also indicated that it is prepared to play a mediating role between the two sides. With both Islamabad and Kabul facing sharply different security narratives, the Moscow Format has provided a new regional venue for the dispute to be discussed without direct bilateral negotiations being the only channel. (AP)
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