Shafaqna Pakistan: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, has warned that terrorist attacks originating from Afghan territory are posing a threat to regional and international peace, alleging that terrorist organisations continue to find safe havens in Afghanistan.
Addressing a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan, Asim Iftikhar said the rise in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan represents a challenge to global peace and security. He stated that Afghan territory continues to be used by militant groups and noted that Pakistan has taken various steps to support Afghanistan through humanitarian assistance, political engagement, and trade cooperation, while hoping for peace and stability under the Taliban administration.
He further said Pakistan had expected the Taliban authorities to honour their commitments, act as a responsible governing administration, and take effective measures against militant groups such as the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and ISIS.
According to Asim Iftikhar, those expectations have not been fulfilled, and Pakistan’s security concerns have not received the level of attention and action that Islamabad had anticipated from the Taliban authorities.
The permanent representative said that Pakistan has become the biggest target due to the freedom gained by terrorists in Afghanistan.
“There is evidence that Afghan citizens are involved in terrorism in Pakistan. They are using billions of dollars worth of military equipment left behind by foreign forces. So far there have been more than 290 cases of seizure of modern weapons, during the year 2025.
“Pakistan faced more than 5,300 terrorist incidents, more than 1,200 Pakistanis lost their lives due to terrorism originating from Afghanistan,” he added.
Asim Iftikhar said that the investigation into the attack on a police post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa proved that the planning was done in Afghanistan. Taliban had taken the dangerous path of scientific cooperation with terrorist elements, and that Pakistan would defend itself for its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security.
He said Qatar, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and China have made sincere efforts for reconciliation. Taliban’s refusal to distance itself from the banned TTP and BLA is proof of collusion, and Pakistan cannot be a silent spectator.
He said he would respond under the right to self-defence for his own security. The Secretary-General’s report is an attempt to shift the responsibility for Afghan challenges onto external factors. Including killed terrorists among civilian casualties calls into question the credibility of UN reporting.
He said that the UN report failed to shed light on the stockpiles of small arms in Afghanistan, that the cause of Afghan suffering is the Taliban’s irresponsible governance and extremist ideology, and that the closure of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is not an obstacle for humanitarian aid supplies.
He said Afghan Taliban government itself refuses to allow aid shipments to enter, that women and girls in Afghanistan are being deprived of their basic human rights and dignity, and that Pakistan has borne the burden of millions of Afghan refugees for more than four decades.
Asim Iftikhar said that the UN should clarify the pending cases of resettlement of Afghan citizens in third countries. Pakistan’s demand is simple: verifiable action should be taken against terrorist groups. The time is running out for the Taliban to take the right direction and improve the situation, he added.
Source: Dunya News
