Afghan soil must not be used for terrorism, Pakistan tells UN

Pakistan on Friday reiterated its call for Afghan territory to cease being used for terrorism against neighboring states and called for steps to prevent what it described as “external spoilers” from exploiting the situation, during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The UNSC unanimously adopted a draft resolution renewing the mandate of the monitoring team supporting the 1988 Afghanistan Sanctions Committee – responsible for overseeing the Taliban sanctions regime – for another 12 months. All 15 council members, including Pakistan, voted in favor of the resolution extending the mandate until February 17, 2027. The draft was prepared and submitted by the United States.

Addressing the Council, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, expressed serious concerns over the continued presence of terrorist groups on Afghan soil, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade, Islamic State Khorasan (AlISIL-Khorasan) and AlISIL-Taliban Pakistan.

“With the adoption of this resolution, the Council sends a clear message to the Taliban authorities that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten or attack any country,” the ambassador said, according to highlights of his remarks shared on X.

He added that the Council also expects all member states to ensure that kidnappers, hostage-takers and terrorist groups do not benefit – directly or indirectly – from ransoms or political concessions, and that they take measures to ensure the safe release of hostages.

“We call on the Taliban to prevent terrorist groups from carrying out such acts with impunity and to effectively combat terrorism,” Ahmad said, calling for sustained and verifiable counterterrorism measures.

The ambassador said the council had spoken with a “unanimous voice” to highlight Afghanistan’s challenges and remained committed to revising the sanctions regime as needed, taking into account realities on the ground. He expressed hope that the monitoring team would continue to actively report and support the work of the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee.

“It is up to the Afghan authorities to decide which path they want to choose – whether the path of isolation or the path of peace and prosperity as a responsible member of the international community,” he concluded.

Read: UNSC findings support Pakistan’s TTP stance

A day earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said a recent report by the UN Security Council’s 1267 sanctions committee had “broadly supported” Pakistan’s long-standing position that terrorist groups – particularly the TTP – continue to operate from Afghan soil with operational space and support. He added that the February 4 report confirmed Islamabad’s view that the TTP was resurgent after the interim Afghan government took over in 2021.

The comments come in the wake of some of the deadliest terror attacks Pakistan has faced. Last Friday, at least 36 people were killed and around 169 injured when a suicide bomber struck Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra. The explosion, followed by several explosions and gunfire, occurred as worshipers gathered for Juma’a prayers.

The attack was the deadliest in Islamabad in more than a decade and the most devastating nationwide since the Peshawar mosque bombing in January 2023.

Read more: CTD arrests top terrorist commander in Bannu

On January 31, a series of coordinated attacks in several locations in Balochistan. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces killed 92 terrorists while 18 civilians were martyred. The military said that during clearance operations and intense fighting, “15 brave sons of the soil, after fighting gallantly, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced martyrdom.”

The BLA had claimed responsibility for the attacks in a post on social media, describing them as the second phase of “Operation Heroof”. The government has designated the BLA and other Baloch groups as “Fitna al Hindustan”, alleging that they are acting as proxies for India to destabilize Pakistan through hybrid warfare.Officials say the BLA’s suicide wing, the Majeed Brigade, has developed links with other anti-Pakistan terrorists operating from Afghanistan.

By 2025, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa faced 1,588 terror-related incidents, reflecting a rapidly escalating militant threat across both settled regions and tribal areas. Despite the increase in attacks, security forces managed to prevent 320 major attacks, while 137 police officers and personnel lost their lives in the line of duty. This is an increase of almost 50 percent compared to 2024.