ISLAMABAD: A trilateral meeting of parliamentary speakers of Pakistan, Turkiye and Azerbaijan on Monday called for collective efforts to curb the use of militant proxies to destabilize any state, describing terrorism as a global menace.
The development comes amid Islamabad’s repeated accusations in recent months against Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil by militant groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and India’s backing of them for attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny those allegations.
Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged cross-border fire over the weekend that killed 23 Pakistani soldiers and more than 200 Afghan Taliban fighters, according to the Pakistani military. Foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia, China and
Russia, expressed concern over the skirmishes, the worst between the neighbors since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
On Monday, the speakers of Pakistan, Turkiye and Azerbaijan parliaments issued a joint declaration after talks in Islamabad, which addressed militancy, climate change, women participation in decision-making among a host of issues.
