Islamabad(The COW News Digital)Pakistan has issued a clear and firm warning to the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, urging them to take verifiable action against terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil. Speaking at a United Nations Security Council session on the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar, described cross-border terrorism as the “most serious threat” to Pakistan’s national security.
In his detailed briefing to the Council, the envoy said Afghanistan has once again become a sanctuary for a range of militant networks and their proxy elements. He highlighted that the impact of terrorism originating from Afghanistan is being felt not only by neighbouring countries—particularly Pakistan—but also beyond the region.
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Iftikhar identified several active militant outfits enjoying safe havens in Afghanistan, including Daesh-Khorasan, Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Majid Brigade. According to him, these groups are exploiting ungoverned spaces and operating training facilities that enable cross-border incursions, suicide attacks and coordinated violent missions.
He informed the Security Council that UN monitoring teams have also verified the presence of nearly 6,000 TTP fighters inside Afghanistan. Some Taliban members, he added, are supporting these groups, providing them freedom of movement and shielding them from accountability.
The Pakistani envoy warned that several extremist factions are now engaged in mutual cooperation, including joint training, weapons smuggling, protection arrangements and the planning of cross-border attacks targeting Pakistan. Without naming India directly, he said a “malicious and opportunistic” state is intensifying its material, technical and financial support to these anti-Pakistan proxies.
Iftikhar further called for stronger international efforts to curb illegal trade, halt the proliferation of small arms and prevent the flow of destabilizing weaponry within Afghanistan and the wider region. He stressed that the Taliban administration must dismantle terrorist infrastructures, eliminate safe havens and take credible steps to ensure Afghan territory is not used against any state.
He cautioned that if the Taliban fail to act decisively, Pakistan will be compelled to take all necessary defensive measures to safeguard its citizens, its territory and its sovereignty.
The ambassador reiterated that the conflict in Afghanistan has ended and expressed hope that Afghan nationals will eventually return home with dignity, through an organized and phased process.
