TEHRAN, Iran: Pakistan on Sunday called on Afghanistan’s Taliban regime to eliminate all terrorist groups from Afghan territory, warning that militancy in Afghanistan poses a major threat to regional security.
Speaking at the Meeting of Special Representatives of Afghanistan’s Neighbouring Countries Plus Russia, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq Khan criticised conditions in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
He told the regional meeting in Tehran that the Afghan people have suffered enough and deserve better governance, while warning that terrorism emanating from Afghan soil remains a serious threat to regional security.
Sadiq Khan said participating countries shared the assessment that continued terrorist activity from Afghanistan posed a major challenge for the entire region.
“The people of Afghanistan have endured immense suffering and deserve better,” Khan said.
Call for action against terror groups
The Pakistani envoy urged the Taliban regime to take concrete steps to ease the hardship faced by ordinary Afghans.
He said the most crucial step would be the complete and non-discriminatory elimination of all terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory.
“It is imperative that the current de facto rulers take steps to ameliorate the suffering of the Afghan people,” he said. “The foremost step would be to rid Afghan soil indiscriminately of all types of terrorists.”
The meeting, held in Tehran on Sunday, was attended by special representatives from Pakistan, Russia, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Iran had invited the Taliban authorities, but they declined to attend, a Taliban spokesman said.
Trust and regional engagement
Sadiq Khan said Afghanistan would only be able to regain the confidence of neighbouring and regional countries once it no longer harboured terrorist groups.
He added that a terrorism-free Afghanistan could unlock its economic potential and strengthen regional connectivity through meaningful engagement with its neighbours.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of allowing the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist group to operate from Afghan territory.
United Nations Security Council reports have confirmed the presence of the terror group in Afghanistan.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban regime have deteriorated in recent months, largely due to cross-border militancy.
Dialogue between the two sides resumed after border clashes in October but failed to produce results as the Taliban authorities failed to ensure effective action against terror groups operating from Afghan soil and involved in cross-border terror attacks.
Pakistan raises terrorism issue at UN
On Wednesday, Pakistan told the United Nations Security Council that Afghanistan had become a “safe haven” for terrorists and proxy groups, posing the “greatest threat” to its national security.
Addressing the UNSC, Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said groups including ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and BLA were operating freely in Afghanistan under Taliban control.
“Just this year alone, we have lost close to 1,200 lives to terrorism emanating from Afghanistan,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar said, adding that more than 214 Afghan terrorists had been neutralised in Pakistan since 2022.
He warned that Pakistan would take “all necessary defensive measures” if the Taliban failed to take verifiable action against terrorist groups.
China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong echoed Pakistan’s concerns, saying TTP terrorists remained active in Afghanistan and continued to threaten neighbouring countries.
He urged the Taliban to strengthen border controls and take terrorism seriously.
