It is indeed a matter of great satisfaction that the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) has been revived with its seventh meeting after a 15-month hiatus or a pretty long pause indeed.
Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan has arrived in Kabul to participate in the meeting.
The last JCC meeting was held in Islamabad in January 2024. These 15 months have witnessed, among other things, an alarming surge in the acts of terrorism inside Pakistan with Afghanistan government, unfortunately, acquiescing to the highly objectionable activities of Afghanistan-based terrorists or militants of different hues, including those belonging to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
What constitutes a serious matter of concern is the fact that the rulers in Kabul are always in a denial mode as they do not accept the presence of a large number of militants who have been using Afghan soil to carry out terrorist activities inside Pakistan, particularly in the province of KP, even when confronted with evidence. Be that as it may, the occasion provides an opportunity for both the neighbors to resolve their mutual difference through talks.
The Afghan government will be required to act responsibly, with an emphasis on shrinking or even fully eliminating the space for terror outfits on Afghan soil. In sum, both Afghanistan and Pakistan must cash in on the opportunity that JCC has thrown up for these two Islamic countries.
Mahmood Khan Khattak, (Peshawar)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025