Efforts to Start Afghanistan Contact Group Halted by Regional Discord

According to the report, opposition to India’s participation in the regional contact group has halted progress on this initiative.

“This group was envisioned to include Afghanistan’s immediate neighbors and other relevant stakeholders. However, Pakistan’s objection to India’s participation in the proposed regional group has led to a deadlock, according to diplomatic sources,” the report reads.

Mohammad Afzal Habib, a political analyst, stated: “India also has its effectiveness in the region and has its own domestic demands which include competing with Pakistan and other issues. If this negativity did not exist and they focused on regional issues, any meeting would be commendable.”

Political analysts said the establishment of a regional contact group is crucial for Afghanistan and emphasized that regional countries need to refrain from diverging views on Afghanistan.

Zakiullah Mohammadi, a university lecturer, said: “They should avoid their differences regarding Afghanistan among themselves, like one country saying it does not accept the representative of another country. When we talk about the region, it includes India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran; we are somehow connected with them.”

Naser Shafiq, a political analyst, remarked: “If the regional countries desire political stability and regional development, they must overlook their internal differences and advocate for the creation of a contact group.”

The UN Secretary-General at the second Doha meeting, held on February 18th and 19th in Doha, Qatar, proposed the creation of a regional contact group to chart a roadmap for Afghanistan, a proposal that, like the appointment of a UN special representative for Afghanistan, has yet to yield tangible results.