EDITORIAL: Walking away from a regional forum rarely looks like confidence; more often it signals avoidance. The Taliban’s decision to stay away from the latest meeting of Afghanistan’s immediate neighbours and Russia in Tehran fits that pattern uncomfortably well. Pakistan’s assessment that Kabul is adopting a head-in-the-sand approach is difficult to dispute when the core concern raised — the persistence of militant threats emanating from Afghan soil — is shared across the region and was articulated in a setting specifically designed for dialogue. What makes this episode striking is not merely Pakistan’s position, but the breadth of alignment around it. Representatives from China, Russia, Iran and Central Asian states gathered to underline a basic proposition: Afghanistan’s stability, and its ability to unlock economic potential, depends on the de facto authorities addressing security concerns that affect everyone around them. Iran’s foreign minister went further, arguing that neighbouring states are the most natural and reliable actors in helping Afghanistan integrate into regional political and economic structures, precisely because they bear the consequences of instability most directly. When such a group converges on the same message, non-attendance becomes more than a scheduling choice. Pakistan’s intervention at the meeting was measured but firm. Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq stressed that terrorism originating from Afghan territory remains a major challenge and that confidence-building with neighbours cannot begin until Afghan soil is rid indiscriminately of militant groups. This was not framed as an abstract demand. It was presented as a prerequisite for meaningful regional engagement and for Afghanistan to realise its geo-economic potential as a corridor linking central, west and south Asia. The logic is straightforward: neighbours cannot deepen trade, connectivity or investment with a state that appears unwilling to address threats affecting their own security. Yet this is not the only issue hovering over this standoff. The expectations placed on the Taliban by the region have always extended beyond counter-terrorism. Pakistan itself has repeatedly said it hoped for progress on political inclusivity, education for girls, and the protection of basic rights. These themes surfaced again through commentary around the forum, underscoring that regional patience is not infinite. Stability is understood as a composite of security, governance and social legitimacy. Ignoring any one of these dimensions weakens the whole. What complicates matters further is the history of assurances and disappointment. Pakistan has long argued that it sought cooperative outcomes with Afghanistan’s de facto rulers, believing that a peaceful transition after decades of conflict would serve shared interests. The expectation was that commitments made – particularly on denying space to militant actors – would be honoured in practice. But the persistence of attacks traced back to Afghan territory, coupled with the Taliban’s refusal to address this problem, has completely eroded that trust. Iran’s framing at the meeting adds another layer. By cautioning against “imported prescriptions” and emphasising regional solutions, Tehran implicitly acknowledged that neighbours are willing to shoulder responsibility if Kabul reciprocates. The message was not one of isolation but of conditional integration. Afghanistan’s people, Iranian officials stressed, deserve a secure and dignified future, and regional convergence could help deliver it. That offer, however, presupposes engagement. In this context, the Taliban’s absence looks less like defiance and more like avoidance of accountability. Dialogue would have required confronting uncomfortable questions about security and governance. Skipping the table postpones those questions, but it does not make them disappear. If anything, it reinforces the perception that the authorities in Kabul are reluctant to be measured against their own commitments. For Pakistan, the immediate frustration is understandable. For the region, the concern is strategic. A stable Afghanistan is a shared interest, but stability cannot be willed into existence by declarations alone. It requires cooperation, credibility and follow-through. Until the Taliban demonstrate a willingness to engage with neighbours on the terms repeatedly articulated — security first, credibility next — regional forums will continue to meet without them, and Afghanistan’s isolation will remain largely self-inflicted. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025