Terrorism emanating from Afghanistan serious threat to its neighbours, Pakistan warns UN

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan called on the international community to “speak with one voice” in order to hold the Taliban to their commitments, including not to allow the use of Afghan soil against any country and to ensure the shared goal of a stable and prosperous Afghanistan free from terrorism.

“We continue to see attempts by TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan) terrorists to infiltrate into Pakistan from Afghanistan,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, told the UN General Assembly, which also adopted a resolution calling on the Taliban to uphold human rights, adhere to international law and take decisive action against terrorism, amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Speaking in a debate on the situation in Afghanistan, the Pakistani envoy said, “We also have credible evidence of collaboration between the TTP and other groups, such as the BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) and its Majeed Brigade, aimed at disrupting strategic infrastructure and economic development projects in Pakistan.”

Under the terms of the resolution, the 193-member Assembly also reiterated its “serious concern” over continuing violence and the presence of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and their affiliates ISIL-Khorasan and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and “demanded” that Afghanistan not be used as a safe haven for terrorist activity.

Adopted with 116 votes in favour, 12 abstentions and 2 against (Israel and United States), the resolution highlighted the multifaceted crises confronting Afghanistan nearly four years after the Taliban’s return to power, calling for greater international support for the Afghan people and a renewed push for peace and stability. Pakistan voted in favour of the resolution; India abstained.

The resolution emphasized the need for a coherent approach among humanitarian, political and development actors, and raised alarm over the “grave, worsening, widespread and systematic oppression” of all women and girls in Afghanistan, calling on the Taliban to swiftly reverse policies that exclude them from education, employment and public life.

In his remarks, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, the Pakistani envoy, said while fighting in Afghanistan had ended after four decades, there was still an element of despair and fear.

“Afghan people continue to suffer – crippling sanctions, a dysfunctional banking system, liquidity crisis, poverty, diminishing humanitarian aid, terrorism, narcotics and human rights concerns have worsened their plight,” he said. “Regrettably, Afghan soil also continues to be used by terrorists, often proxies, against other countries, particularly Pakistan.”

Afghanistan should not be abandoned, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar said, welcoming UN led efforts, such as Doha Process, for structured engagement with the de facto authorities.

“A comprehensive and inclusive framework is urgently needed—with equal attention to all issues in a balanced manner and that also addresses regional concerns,” he said, underscoring that the first priority must be to avert a humanitarian disaster.

“The 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is critically underfunded—with only 15.7% of the required $2.42 billion secured so far,” and he urged the international community to fully fund this plan.

Highlighting that Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans for decades, the Pakistani envoy said that since August 2021, an additional one million undocumented individuals crossed into the country, creating among other issues, law-and-order concerns.

“The international community in our view must share this burden more equitably”.

Ambassador Asim Iftikhar also called for reviving the Afghan economy and banking system, including unfreezing of financial assets held by the United States, and to enable trade and investment.

On its part, he said, Pakistan is committed to expanding trade and pursuing regional connectivity initiatives such as TAPI, CASA-1000, Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway and extension of the CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) to Afghanistan.

“We should acknowledge that there is one authority that controls the territory of Afghanistan with no credible challenge to it; We must avoid actions that could ignite another conflict in Afghanistan which can affect the entire region,” he said.

“We need to ensure that ‘spoilers’ – within or outside Afghanistan – are prevented from fomenting instability and terrorism.”

“Terrorism emanating from Afghanistan is a serious threat to its neighbours, particularly Pakistan,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar said, pointing out that ISIL-K (Daesh) continues to target the de facto authorities while other terrorist entities including Al-Qaeda, al Fitna Al Khawarij TTP, and the Baloch militant groups, continue to operate from ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan must not become a safe haven for terrorism against any other country”, the Pakistani envoy said, adding that the TTP, with around 6,000 fighters, is the largest UN-designated terrorist group operating from Afghan soil, directly threatening Pakistan’s national security.

“With cross recruitment between various terrorist groups, including the TTP and ISIL-K, TTP poses a threat not only to our national security but the region and the world.”

Pointing out that a significant cache of modern weapons, ammunition and sophisticated equipment originally left behind by the international forces in Afghanistan have been confiscated by Pakistani law enforcement agencies, he said these weapons have been used to launch increasingly sophisticated attacks against Pakistan, including in the last two weeks.

“These incidents underscore the scale and seriousness of the threat we face,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, warning that Pakistan will continue to take all possible action to ensure the safety and security of its people.,

Pakistan fully shares the international community’s expectations from the de facto authorities to fulfill their international obligations especially women’s rights and greater political and social inclusion,” he said, adding, “We are seriously concerned about the continued restrictions on women and girls, which are inconsistent with international norms and Islamic traditions.”

Pakistan, he said, also continues to support educational activities and opportunities for the Afghan youth, currently benefitting 4,500 Afghan students, one-third of whom are girls.

“What could not be realized through force, will not be achieved through isolation, sanctions or financial coercion,” the Pakistani envoy said. “To the contrary, it could lead to renewed conflict and violence amidst growing poverty and hunger, and generate a fresh exodus of refugees and displacements, which none of Afghanistan’s neighbors are in a position to accommodate.”