UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has voiced grave concern over the presence of terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan, directly implicating them in a surge of deadly attacks that have killed 80 civilians within its borders this month alone. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar, accused militant outfits—including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Islamic State (ISIS)—of exploiting Afghan soil to orchestrate cross-border violence.
“These cowardly acts were perpetrated by groups present in Afghanistan,” Iftikhar said, referencing two major terrorist attacks that collectively claimed 80 innocent lives. He stressed that Afghan territory had been “once again” used to target Pakistan, calling on the interim government in Kabul to immediately halt such activities. “Afghanistan should not allow its soil to be used against neighboring countries,” he asserted.
Iftikhar noted that Pakistan voted in favor of a recent UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on the Taliban, which explicitly demands that Afghan land not be utilized for hostile actions against any nation. He urged the Afghan interim government to take decisive steps to suppress terrorist networks and fulfill its counterterrorism commitments. “The resolution makes it unequivocally clear that Afghan soil must not be used against any country,” the envoy added. “The interim Afghan government must stop the activities of these groups and honor its anti-terrorism promises.”
Pakistan has repeatedly raised alarms at international forums over what it describes as over 1,500 cross-border attacks from Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. While the Afghan interim government has consistently denied harboring militants, Iftikhar’s remarks underscore mounting frustration in Islamabad. The Security Council resolution, backed by Pakistan, seeks to tighten pressure on the Taliban through targeted sanctions, demanding verifiable progress in denying safe havens to regional terrorist factions.
