The Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, where eleven nations-including India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asian republics-collectively denounced attempts to deploy military infrastructure in Afghanistan and its neighbourhood, mark a rare and crucial convergence of regional priorities. This unified stance underscores a shared fatigue with decades of foreign interference that have left Afghanistan shattered and the broader region unstable. For over four decades, Afghanistan has been the epicentre of great power rivalry. The Soviet occupation of the 1980s, followed by the two-decade-long American military presence after 2001, turned the nation into a theatre for geopolitical supremacy rather than peace. Each phase left behind destruction, displacement, and disillusionment. When the United States withdrew in 2021, it not only left a vacuum of governance but also abandoned billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment – tanks, helicopters, and weapons that now pose a grave threat to regional stability.
Today, as Washington again seeks to regain a strategic foothold in Afghanistan to counter the growing influence of Iran, China, and Russia, the spectre of renewed militarisation looms large. The joint rejection by 11 regional powers of such intentions reflects a collective resolve to prevent Afghanistan from being dragged once more into the vortex of global power politics. Their message is clear: the region must not be the playground of superpower rivalries anymore. The significance of India, Pakistan, and China-traditionally adversarial neighbours-finding common ground cannot be overstated. Their alignment on this issue demonstrates a recognition that peace in Afghanistan directly influences their own security and development. The path forward lies not in an arms race, but in cooperation over trade, connectivity, and reconstruction.
Afghanistan has already paid an unbearable price in human lives and national trauma. Any new arms race or proxy conflict will only deepen its wounds and destabilise the surrounding nations. The world must respect the collective call from regional stakeholders to allow Afghanistan to evolve as a peaceful, independent state. The US and other powers must heed this sentiment and refrain from further militarising the region. Lasting peace in South and Central Asia depends on regional autonomy, economic cooperation, and the end of the cycle of militarisation. The guns must finally fall silent.
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