The Pakistani Ambassador to the United Nations, Munir Akram, has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to take decisive action against terrorism in neighbouring Afghanistan. In a recent address to the UNSC, Akram emphasized the pressing threat posed by allowing terrorists to operate in the region with impunity.
This appeal comes in the wake of the Afghan Taliban authorities confirming their attendance at the upcoming third round of United Nations-hosted talks on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar. Despite previous uncertainties regarding their participation, the Taliban government will be represented by a delegation at the conference of foreign special envoys to Afghanistan.
Simultaneously, significant numbers of Afghan refugees have been repatriated following a government initiative to crackdown on terrorism, with hundreds of thousands expelled to their homeland since last November. Akram underscored that while Afghanistan strives for socioeconomic development, the presence of active terrorist organizations such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State in Khorasan Province (IS-K) poses a substantial impediment to these goals.
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In his address, Akram highlighted the presence of various terrorist groups in Afghanistan, including Al-Qaeda, TTP, ETIM, and IMU, and stressed the need for the Afghan Interim Government to undertake effective and sustained action against these groups. He specifically underscored the TTP as posing the most direct and serious threat to Pakistan, citing numerous cross-border attacks resulting in civilian and military casualties.
Moreover, Akram pointed out the existence of TTP safe havens along the Pak-Afghan border, enabling the execution of attacks such as the one that resulted in the deaths of Chinese engineers working on the Dassu hydroelectric project earlier this year. He urged the UNSC to call on the Afghan government to sever its links with and disarm the TTP, and to hand over captured TTP leaders to Pakistan.
The ambassador also called for a thorough investigation into the TTP’s acquisition of advanced weapons and sources of funding, emphasizing the need to address external sources that enable the maintenance of up to 50,000 TTP fighters and their families. Additionally, he reminded the Security Council of its obligation to Afghans affected by terrorism and emphasized the urgent need for humanitarian aid for those impacted.
