KEY POINTS
- Pakistan warned the UN that TTP is acting as an umbrella for regional terrorist groups under Afghan Taliban patronage.
- Ambassador Munir Akram accused the Taliban of supporting the TTP to destabilize Pakistan and disrupt CPEC.
- Pakistan proposed a counterterrorism working group within the Doha Process.
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has once again drawn international attention to the growing threat posed by terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan, warning that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is emerging as an umbrella organisation for regional terrorist organisations under the patronage of the interim Afghan Taliban government.
Speaking at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram, said the Kabul administration had failed to address the threat posed by Afghanistan-based terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda, the TTP, and Baloch militant organisations such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Majeed Brigade.
“The TTP, with an estimated 6,000 fighters, is the largest designated terrorist organisation operating from Afghanistan,” he said, adding that the group had conducted numerous cross-border attacks against Pakistan’s security forces and civilians, resulting in significant casualties.
Ambassador Akram said that Pakistan had evidence that the Afghan authorities were not only tolerating but also complicit in TTP’s cross-border terrorism.
“The TTP is collaborating with other terrorist groups such as the BLA and the Majeed Brigade, which seek to destabilise Pakistan and disrupt economic cooperation with China, particularly the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” he added.
The envoy further accused Pakistan’s “principal adversary” of providing external support and financing to the TTP, an apparent reference to India.
UN report highlights Afghan Taliban’s support for TTP
The 35th report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted to the UNSC last month, confirmed that the Afghan Taliban continued to provide logistical and financial support to the TTP, allowing the group to continue its terrorist activities.
The report stated that the scale of TTP attacks in Pakistan had significantly increased and that the status and strength of the group in Afghanistan remained unchanged, despite Pakistan’s repeated calls for action.
Pakistan’s response and regional counterterrorism efforts
Ambassador Akram reaffirmed that Pakistan would continue to take all necessary measures to protect its national security, in accordance with its right to self-defence under international law and relevant UNSC resolutions.
He highlighted the Declaration of the Ministerial Meeting of China, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia, held on 27 September 2024, as a key development in forging a regional consensus to eliminate terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.
The ambassador also announced Pakistan’s intention to propose the creation of a counterterrorism working group within the Doha Process, aimed at addressing the security threats posed by Afghanistan-based terrorist groups.
Ambassador Akram revealed that Pakistani security forces had confiscated advanced weapons from TTP terrorists, originally supplied to Afghan forces by foreign troops before their withdrawal in 2021.
He urged the Afghan interim government to retrieve these weapons from terrorist groups, warning that their continued use posed a significant threat to regional security.
Humanitarian and economic concerns
While addressing the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the Pakistani envoy called for urgent international assistance for over 20 million Afghans in need, criticising the underfunding of the UN’s Strategic Framework for Afghanistan, which has received only 11% of the required $2.53 billion for 2025.
He also supported the unfreezing of Afghanistan’s central bank assets to stabilise the country’s financial sector and prevent illicit financial flows.
However, he stressed that Kabul must take concrete steps to curb cross-border terrorism and illegal trade to strengthen economic cooperation with Pakistan.
Ambassador Akram highlighted major regional projects, including the TAPI gas pipeline, CASA-1000 electricity grid, and the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway, as key initiatives that could contribute to economic stability in Afghanistan and the wider region.
Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan have remained tense, with frequent border skirmishes and growing frustration in Islamabad over Kabul’s failure to rein in the TTP.
Earlier this year, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir stated that the only point of contention between Pakistan and Afghanistan was the presence of TTP and its cross-border attacks.
In December last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also reiterated that better relations with Kabul were contingent on Afghanistan taking decisive action against the TTP.
Since the TTP broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the Pakistani government in November 2022, the group has escalated attacks on security forces, law enforcement agencies, and civilians. Pakistan has responded with cross-border raids and retaliatory strikes, intensifying pressure on Kabul to rein in militant groups.
Ambassador Akram also stated that Pakistan had successfully foiled attempts by ISIL-K terrorists to infiltrate from Afghanistan into Pakistan, preventing the group from establishing external operational capabilities inside Pakistan.
Quoting the 35th UN Al-Qaeda and Daesh Monitoring Team report, he highlighted the recent arrest of Muhammad Sharifullah, an Afghan operative linked to the Abbey Gate bombing during the 2021 US evacuation from Kabul.
Pakistan also used the UNSC platform to push for a comprehensive approach under the Doha Process, urging the Afghan Taliban to commit to inclusive governance, human rights, and counterterrorism efforts as outlined in the 2023 independent assessment by Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioğlu.
Ambassador Akram supported the proposal for a reciprocal “roadmap” between the Afghan interim government and the international community, linking political inclusion and economic revival with sanctions relief, as part of the UNAMA’s “mosaic” approach.
