Pakistan Tells UN It Will Act in Self-Defence Against Terror Threats From Afghanistan

• Pakistan said it would respond to terrorist threats from Afghan territory when necessary, in accordance with international law.
• Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said more than 4,700 Pakistanis had been killed in Afghanistan-linked terrorism over three years.
• The United States criticised the Taliban over detained Americans, human rights abuses and restrictions on women and girls.

Pakistan has told the United Nations Security Council that it will take action in self-defence whenever necessary to protect its citizens from terrorist threats originating in Afghanistan, while adhering to international law.

Addressing a Council session on Afghanistan on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said Islamabad could not remain passive while facing a continuing terrorist threat.

The envoy said more than 4,700 Pakistanis had lost their lives over the past three years in terrorism linked to Afghanistan. He accused the authorities in Kabul of failing to take concrete, verifiable steps against militant organisations operating from their territory.

Ahmad said Afghanistan had again become a sanctuary for several militant groups. He named the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, the Baloch Liberation Army and its Majeed Brigade, Islamic State-Khorasan, and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, alongside their affiliated organisations.

He also alleged that outside actors were supporting proxy groups based in Afghanistan to target Pakistan and other neighbouring countries.

Describing terrorism as central to Afghanistan’s difficulties, Ahmad said links between the Taliban and militant organisations had deepened the problem. He also warned that weapons left behind by foreign forces, together with expanding illegal arms trafficking, were adding to security concerns.

His remarks followed a recent report by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that said terrorist organisations continued to operate in Afghanistan. The report also raised concerns about restrictions on women and girls, exclusionary governance, economic hardship, deteriorating public services, and large-scale migration and returns.

Despite its concerns over Taliban policies, Pakistan had maintained diplomatic engagement, provided humanitarian support and pursued regional cooperation with Afghanistan, Ahmad said.

He told the Council that Pakistan had fulfilled its international obligations by facilitating humanitarian deliveries. At least 687 trucks carrying humanitarian cargo crossed from Pakistan into Afghanistan during the period covered by the UN report, he added.

Ahmad said the expectations that accompanied the Taliban’s return to power five years ago had gradually turned into disappointment across the international community.

The United States also criticised the Afghan authorities during the session. US Ambassador Mike Waltz condemned the detention of American citizens and accused the Taliban of holding them as leverage, urging the Security Council to demand their release.

Waltz raised concerns about arbitrary arrests, torture, mistreatment and extrajudicial killings, as well as continuing restrictions on women and girls.

He highlighted the ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade and restrictions affecting Afghan women employed by the United Nations.

The US envoy questioned whether sustained international engagement with the Taliban could deliver meaningful change without concrete action by the Afghan authorities.