Islamabad refers to the 35th, 36th, 16th and 37th UN Security Council Monitoring Team Reports
File photo of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants. PHOTO: REUTERS
Pakistan on Sunday questioned the position of UN human rights experts regarding the lack of “credible evidence” linking the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacks to Afghan soil, pointing to several UN and international reports documenting the presence and activities of terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan.
Last month, the UN experts had urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to commit to a permanent ceasefire and had also claimed that Pakistan had not released credible evidence that TTP attacks inside its territory were directed or controlled by de facto Afghan authorities.
The experts had called on the parties to respect international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and civilian objects. They called for prompt, independent and transparent investigations into all alleged violations, accountability for perpetrators and remedies for victims in accordance with international standards.
Countering their position, Pakistan highlighted a contrast between the UN experts’ statement and established findings from various UN Security Council monitoring team reports and assessments consistently documenting TTP presence, safe harbor and operational activity from Afghan soil.
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Pakistan referred to the 35th, 36th, 16th and 37th UN Security Council Monitoring Team Reports. It also cited the SIGAR 66th and 68th reports of January 2025. Additional references include the Russian MFA military-political assessment of February 2026, the CSTO security assessment of 2026, the SCO Deliberations of September 2025, and the Quadrilateral assessment of Russia, China and Iran in September 2025.
Pakistan cited additional statements by the Danish Ambassador to the UN Security Council in November 2025, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in 2025, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia in 2025 and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in August 2025.
The said reports and assessments together highlighted Afghanistan as a hub for over 20 International Terrorist Organizations (ITOs), with 13,000-23,000 foreign terrorists, including more than 6,000 TTP fighters, enjoying safe haven and operational freedom.
They also note continued Al-Qaeda presence and leadership regrouping, as well as active ISIL-K expansion.
The assessments document over 600 TTP attacks in Pakistan launched from Afghan soil, with the Afghan Taliban providing sanctuary, facilitation and logistical support enabling cross-border attacks and regional instability.
Pakistan questioned what additional evidence UN human rights experts required, noting that multiple UN and international assessments already confirmed the presence of over 20 terrorist groups, thousands of foreign terrorists and continued Taliban support for proxies operating from Afghan soil.
“Are these results being ignored? Do they expect Pakistan’s leadership to go to Afghanistan and take pictures with TTP leaders like Hafiz Gul Bahadar and Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud?” asked a security analyst.
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He also expressed concern about the UN experts who questioned the credibility of the very UN institutions tasked with monitoring, reporting and maintaining international norms, maintaining that these established reports provided clear evidence of the threats emanating from Afghan territory.
The 37th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, dated February 4, said attacks on Pakistan by the TTP from Afghanistan had increased, supporting Islamabad’s long-standing complaints about militant sanctuaries across the border.
The report not only supported Islamabad’s position that Afghanistan had become a haven for militants using its territory to launch attacks on Pakistan, but also came at a time when the country is facing a renewed wave of violence.
