Pakistan has again threatened to take action if the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan failed to take concrete and verifiable steps against terrorist groups active on their soil, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.
Addressing the United Nations Security Council in New York on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad maintained “The Taliban must take concrete and verifiable action against terrorist groups based on their soil, failing which Pakistan will take all necessary defensive measures for the protection of its citizens, territory and sovereignty.”
Ambassador Asim further said “As corroborated by the UN Monitoring Team, the TTP with nearly 6,000 fighters, is the largest UN-designated terrorist group based on Afghan soil.”
The Pakistani envoy further remarked “With conflict now ended in the neighbouring country, we expect that Afghan refugees will will now return to their country of origin in a dignified, phased and orderly manner. We will continue to extend all possible assistance to our Afghan brothers and sisters, but the international community must shoulder its responsibility and share this burden more equitably.”
Following is the text of Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad’s speech in the UN Security Council”
1. I would like to begin by commending Slovenia for its Presidency and skilful leadership of the Council this month. We also thank Slovenia’s delegation for their dedication and valuable contribution to the Council’s work during their two-year term as an elected member of this Council.
2. We take note of the SG’s report and thank DSRSG and Officer in Charge of UNAMA, Ms. Georgette Gagnon for her briefing. We appreciate the role of UNAMA and the work they do under pressing circumstances. We also thank USG Tom Fletcher for his insightful briefing on the humanitarian situation and also to civil society briefer Ms Negina Yari for her remarks.
3. It has been more than four years since the Taliban takeover that ended civil war and offered a glimmer of hope for Afghanistan, though not without serious apprehensions and doubts.
4. In the spirit of good neighbourliness and our longstanding commitment and interest in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, Pakistan engaged with the Taliban authorities regularly and throughout this period. Just this year, we conducted a series of high-level visits to Afghanistan and launched a number of initiatives, supported humanitarian relief efforts, facilitated transportation of goods and announced trade and transit concessions. We have also remained engaged with various regional processes on Afghanistan.
5. It is important to recall that there were several expectations of the international community from the Taliban based on their commitments in particular not to allow the use of Afghan soil for terrorism against any country and many colleagues around the table have referred to that.
6. Unfortunately, initial reservations of the international community gradually proved true, becoming more pronounced with the passage of time. Today, Afghanistan is once again a safe sanctuary for terrorist groups and proxies, with devastating consequences and mounting security challenges for its immediate neighbours, particularly Pakistan, and the region and beyond.
7. Regrettably, instead of seeing the Taliban take concrete, effective and decisive actions against terrorist groups, we saw a steep surge in terrorist attacks against Pakistan; planned, financed and orchestrated using Afghan soil under their watch. Just this year alone, we have lost close to 1,200 lives to terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. Since 2022, more than 214 Afghan terrorists including suicide bombers have been neutralized in Pakistan during CT operations.
8. Terrorism emanating from Afghan soil poses the gravest threat to Pakistan’s national security and sovereignty. Terrorist entities including ISIL-K, Al-Qaeda, TTP, ETIM, BLA and Majeed Brigade enjoy safe havens in Afghanistan’s territory, with dozens of terrorist camps enabling cross-border infiltration and violent attacks including suicide bombings.
9. As corroborated by the UN Monitoring Team, the TTP with nearly 6,000 fighters, is the largest UN-designated terrorist group based on Afghan soil. Pakistan has successfully thwarted multiple infiltration attempts of TTP and BLA terrorists from across Afghanistan, confiscating significant caches of sophisticated military grade modern equipment left behind by international forces in Afghanistan. These efforts have had a human cost – with huge sacrifices by our valiant security forces and civilians.
10. Elements within Taliban rank and file are supporting these terrorist groups and allowing them safe passage to operate with impunity and free will. There is also credible evidence of collaboration among these terrorist groups through joint training, illicit weapons trade, refuge to terrorists, and coordinated attacks against Pakistan using the Afghan soil.
11. And not surprisingly, one detractor in the region, opportunist, and spoiler, as ever has moved fast to intensify its sponsorship of terrorist activity through material, technical and financial support, to terrorist groups and proxies active against Pakistan from Afghan soil.
12. We believe that UNAMA must strengthen efforts, as mandated, to prevent illicit trade and destabilizing accumulation of small arms and light weapons and their diversion in Afghanistan and the region.
13. Despite serious security concerns, we have made every effort to engage with the Taliban authorities, including during the recent rounds of talks in Doha and Istanbul.
14. We are grateful to the Governments of Qatar and Türkiye for their sincere efforts.
15. The Taliban must take concrete and verifiable action against terrorist groups based on their soil, failing which; Pakistan will take all necessary defensive measures for the protection of its citizens, territory and sovereignty. We also expect UNAMA to provide an objective assessment of the security situation at the border. Incidents related to border clashes are primarily an issue of terrorism and peace and security.
16. The Taliban’s failure to honour their CT obligations has worsened the security landscape of our region and added to the misery of ordinary Afghans who are suffering as a direct result of their inhumane policies and misplaced priorities.
17. Sanctions, a dysfunctional banking system, diminishing aid, poverty, terrorism, narcotics production, and human rights violations continue to define Afghanistan’s political and socio-economic fabric today, largely as a result of Taliban’s own doing.
18. The Taliban’s continued restrictions on women and girls as we have also heard today are also inconsistent with Islamic traditions and norms of Muslim society as also highlighted by OIC countries on several occasions. Pakistan fully shares the concerns of the international community on the issue of human rights, particularly women and girls rights in Afghanistan.
19. The humanitarian situation is also serious, as we have heard from USG Tom Fletcher. Increasing financing gaps in the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2025 also demonstrate diminishing support for a political dispensation that has failed to meet its commitments.
20. For over four decades, Pakistan welcomed with open arms, millions of Afghan refugees despite its own constraints and inadequate international support. We also had to cope with huge numbers and case-loads of illegal foreigners including Afghans, without legal status or documents, which were a serious security threat to Pakistan. These were not meant to be indefinite stays.
21. With conflict now ended, we expect that Afghans will now return to their country of origin in a dignified, phased and orderly manner. We will continue to extend all possible assistance to our Afghan brothers and sisters, but the international community must shoulder its responsibility and share this burden more equitably; we see commitments long delayed, unkept and in some cases reversed. Shifting the blame of Afghanistan’s woes to the inflow of Afghan returnees does not reflect ground realities either.
22. Pakistan has also put in place a liberal visa regime that enables Afghans to visit Pakistan legally for various purposes including education, health, business and family links. Just for example, just for medical cases alone, we have issued visas to more than 536,000 Afghans since September 2023.
23. Pakistan has consistently advocated sustained engagement with Afghanistan and was among the first to propose a roadmap for normalisation. We look forward to the next steps of the UN-led Doha Process and plan of action for its Mosaic approach, which must address Afghanistan’s multifaceted challenges, comprehensively, as also outlined in the independent assessment report.
24. Pakistan desires a peaceful, stable, inter-connected and prosperous Afghanistan which is at peace with itself and its neighbours. Pakistan also supports international engagement efforts with Afghanistan, with well defined objectives, reciprocal steps and a realistic roadmap, as the only viable pathway to lasting peace in Afghanistan. We also hope that bilateral engagements have not used by countries with negative agendas as a medium to destabilise the Pak-Afghan border and the wider region.
25. We hope the Taliban will promote a conducive environment for sincere dialogue that is sensitive to our legitimate security concerns, stop working at cross purposes and come out of a state of denial, which serves no one’s interest.
26. For Pakistan, Afghanistan holds particular importance. As immediate neighbours bound by geography, sharing not only a long border but having deep religious and historical ties, cultural linkages and fraternal bonds, no country desires peace and stability in Afghanistan more than Pakistan. And no country has suffered from the consequences of decades of conflict and instability in Afghanistan, more than Pakistan. Pakistan will therefore continue to work for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, in the best interest of Afghans and the region. I thank you.