Ambassador of Pakistan to France Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has urged the international community to renew its focus on the growing terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan, warning that the issue, if left unaddressed, will eventually affect countries beyond the region.
In an exclusive interview with Opinion, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, clarified that recent military actions inside Afghanistan were not an attack but a targeted operation against terrorist groups.
She stated that the operation, conducted on February 28, was a direct response to a cross-border incursion by terrorists, supported by Afghan security forces, that resulted in the deaths of Pakistani soldiers.
Ambassador Baloch explained that for years, Pakistan has engaged with the Taliban interim government, asking them to take action against groups like the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State in Khorasan (ISIS-K) operating from Afghan soil. She asserted that these requests were ignored and that these groups were instead receiving protection.
“There is no border conflict,” the Ambassador clarified regarding the Durand Line, stating it is internationally recognized under UN principles. She stressed that Pakistan’s issue is solely with the safe havens of terrorists, not with the Afghan people, with whom Pakistan shares deep historical and cultural ties.
Highlighting the ideological chasm with the Taliban, Ambassador Baloch underscored Pakistan’s commitment to its constitutional framework where women have equal rights. She detailed Pakistan’s concrete steps to support Afghan women, including offering scholarships that allow them to study in Pakistan accompanied by a male relative, and providing duty-free access for Afghan women-led businesses.
On the wider regional conflict, she reiterated Pakistan’s firm stance on respecting international law, stating that any unauthorized attack on Iran violates the UN Charter and threatens multilateralism.
She warned that the international community’s attention has drifted from Afghanistan since 2021, allowing terrorism to fester, which now poses a risk to global security.