Islamabad, 4 October, 2026 (Ghufran): The eighth meeting of the Moscow Format on Afghanistan is scheduled to take place in Russia on October 5 amid strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, providing another regional platform to discuss terrorism, border security and bilateral differences. Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Muhammad Sadiq, is expected to lead the Pakistani delegation, which will include Additional Secretary/Director General Afghanistan, Iran and Türkiye Naeem Iqbal Cheema, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Russia Faisal Niaz Tirmizi. The Afghan Taliban delegation will be led by Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, although no bilateral meeting between Sadiq and Muttaqi has so far been scheduled. A Taliban official said the group had not requested such a meeting. Pakistan has repeatedly maintained that armed groups operating from Afghan territory and terrorism in Pakistan cannot be ignored, while the Afghan Taliban rejects Islamabad’s position and accuses Pakistan of violating Afghan sovereignty. Russia has called for dialogue and political engagement to resolve differences between the two countries, while China previously hosted talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban in Urumqi in April, though the discussions failed to produce significant progress. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Moscow Format meeting will discuss political and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and regional countries, as well as joint efforts against terrorism and drug trafficking. Representatives and senior officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are expected to attend, while Belarus and Egypt have been invited as guests. Given the continuing tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, the meeting is being viewed as an important diplomatic engagement, although the possibility of a high-level direct meeting or a major breakthrough between Islamabad and Kabul remains uncertain.