Pakistan’s Sharif Calls for Meaningful Taliban Engagement to Address Terrorism Concerns

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted terrorism in Afghanistan as a major concern for member states, Amu TV reported yesterday.

Sharif called for “meaningful” engagement of SCO members with the Taliban, stressing the importance of regional peace as a prerequisite for economic development.

He urged the Taliban to take concrete measures to ensure Afghanistan’s soil is not used for terrorism against other states, and condemned terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism.

Sharif described peace in Afghanistan as the “lynchpin” for ensuring regional stability, emphasizing that the international community must meaningfully engage with the Afghan government to address their genuine economic and development needs.

Pakistan has accused the Taliban of supporting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which the Taliban have denied.