Pakistan PM, Army Chief Hold Talks With Trump At White House

At the White House on Thursday, Trump referred to his administration’s rebuilding of the US military and the equipment left behind in Afghanistan following the 2021 withdrawal. He again criticised the withdrawal, calling it the most shameful moment in US history.

Trump in recent weeks has repeatedly highlighted his intention for the United States to regain control of Bagram, once the country’s largest military base in Afghanistan. In late September, during a joint press conference in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he said Washington was seeking to take back the base, which the Taliban seized after the US exit.

He later confirmed that his administration was holding discussions with the Taliban on a potential return to Bagram and warned of consequences if the facility was not handed back.

Taliban officials have rejected the prospect of a US return, insisting Bagram is part of Afghanistan’s sovereign territory and will not host foreign forces.

The OIC said the group was established to provide an effective mechanism for implementing decisions on Afghanistan and to strengthen cooperation in addressing the country’s humanitarian, political, and economic challenges.

Representatives of member states stressed that Afghanistan continues to face severe humanitarian and economic crises and that overcoming them will be difficult without a coherent regional framework.

In a message to the meeting, the OIC Secretary-General underscored the importance of continued dialogue with Taliban authorities on key issues. He also expressed appreciation to countries providing humanitarian aid, particularly through the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund and the OIC office in Kabul, with special thanks to Saudi Arabia for its contributions via the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.

Speakers noted that the creation of the Contact Group could accelerate coordination of humanitarian and political support from Islamic countries.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, told the gathering that at a time when global priorities are shifting to other conflict zones, OIC member states must not neglect Afghanistan. He said the country is grappling with crippling problems such as terrorism, narcotics trafficking, a dysfunctional banking system, unemployment, poverty, human rights concerns, and a political structure that remains unrecognised more than four years after the Taliban takeover.

Dar urged OIC members to support engagement and dialogue with the Taliban at regional and multilateral levels to encourage the group to uphold international commitments. He added that the Contact Group should press the Taliban to lift unjustified restrictions on women and girls, which he said contradict Islamic principles and the norms of Muslim societies. He stressed that engagement efforts should push the Taliban to reconsider their policies in this regard.

The Pakistani foreign minister also voiced concern over the presence of terrorist groups inside Afghanistan, particularly Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM). He said these groups actively cooperate with al-Qaeda and pose a serious threat to regional and international peace and security.

Abolfazl Zohrevand, a member of Iran’s parliament and its National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told the Iranian outlet IRAF that a US return to Bagram would run counter to the interests of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. He said China had already raised concerns over the issue in talks with Taliban Defence Minister Yaqoob Mujahid.

Zohrevand argued that the US is seeking to offset its 2021 withdrawal defeat, adding that China, Russia, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have the capacity to resist American pressure. He described Bagram as a “dagger” pointed at Russia, China and Iran, and warned regional states would back Taliban opponents if US forces return.

His comments follow repeated calls by US President Donald Trump for Washington to retake Bagram. Trump warned last week that “bad things” would happen if the Taliban did not hand over the base.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected Trump’s remarks, saying Bagram is Afghan territory and urging the US to engage diplomatically. China’s Foreign Ministry also stressed respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty and cautioned against fuelling regional tensions.

Speaking on the opening day of the UN General Assembly, Erdogan was the only world leader to address Afghanistan directly.

He reiterated that international support for Afghans is essential and pledged that Türkiye will continue to stand with the country’s people.

For nearly four years, regional and international actors have pressed the Taliban to form a representative government and to recognise the rights of ethnic and religious minorities. The Taliban maintain their administration is inclusive, despite staffing state institutions almost entirely with their own members.

The group has also rejected global calls to uphold human rights, particularly women’s rights, insisting its policies are rooted in Islamic Sharia law.

“If Afghanistan does not return Bagram Air Base to those who built it, the United States of America, bad things are going to happen,” Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social.

The warning followed his remarks Thursday at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, where he said Washington is working to regain control of the facility.

Bagram was the largest US military base in Afghanistan until 2021, when it was vacated during the American withdrawal.

Trump has repeatedly criticised former President Joe Biden for the chaotic exit, saying it allowed the Taliban to seize US weapons, equipment and the base itself. Speaking in London, he described Bagram as strategically significant because it is “only an hour away from where China produces its nuclear weapons.”

On Friday, Trump told reporters at the White House that talks with the Taliban were ongoing. “We should never have given it up,” he said.

The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that Trump’s administration is in early negotiations with the Taliban over a limited American counterterrorism presence at Bagram. Adam Boehler, who recently travelled to Afghanistan with former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, is leading the discussions.

Khalilzad has said Bagram could serve US counterterrorism operations but added that progress depends on resolving ongoing hostage disputes between Washington and the Taliban.