Pakistan warned on Monday of an “alarming rise” in militant threats emanating from Afghanistan and called for evidence-based and balanced UN reporting on security developments there, saying terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory continued to pose a serious threat to regional peace and security.
The remarks by Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad came after the Security Council unanimously renewed the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
Islamabad has increasingly voiced concern over cross-border militancy that it says originates from Afghan soil and targets its civilians, security forces and infrastructure, an issue that has severely strained ties with Kabul, triggered border clashes and prompted Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan that officials say were aimed at militant hideouts.
“Pakistan has consistently underlined that one of the most serious challenges in Afghanistan is the alarming rise in the threat of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan that is directly affecting its immediate neighbors, particularly Pakistan,” Ahmad told the Security Council after the vote.
“This resolution expresses Council’s serious concern over the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, which continue to constitute a threat to international peace and security,” he said. “It is a matter of great concern that elements within the Taliban are actively collaborating with several terrorist groups and providing them with safe havens.”
Ahmad said the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majid Brigade faction, Daesh, Al Qaeda and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) were operating inside Afghanistan.
“Many of these terrorist groups are responsible for cross-border terrorist attacks targeting Pakistani civilians and law enforcement personnel, as well as critical infrastructure and public places,” he said.
Pakistan has experienced a sharp rise in militant violence in recent years, particularly in its northwestern and southwestern regions bordering Afghanistan. Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused Kabul’s Taliban rulers of failing to prevent groups such as the TTP from using Afghan territory to launch attacks, a charge the Taliban deny.
Ahmad said UNAMA had a key role to play in encouraging Afghanistan to meet its international obligations, particularly in the areas of counterterrorism, human rights and inclusive governance.
He also said the mission should support conditions conducive to the return and reintegration of refugees and internally displaced people. The remarks come as Pakistan continues a deportation drive launched in late 2023 targeting undocumented foreign nationals, most of them Afghans, while neighboring Iran has also repatriated large numbers of Afghan migrants in recent years.
The Pakistani envoy called on UNAMA to provide objective assessments of Afghanistan’s political, security and socio-economic conditions, including the risks associated with illicit trade, weapons proliferation and aid diversion.
“UNAMA’s reporting must be evidence based, particularly when it relates to areas where terrorist groups have sanctuaries and access is difficult for UN personnel,” Ahmad said.
The comments appeared to reference recent UNAMA reports raising concerns about civilian casualties linked to Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Pakistani officials have disputed those findings, saying their forces used precision-guided munitions and took measures to avoid civilian harm while targeting militant hideouts.