Pakistan has told the United Nations that it has credible evidence of increased coordination among proscribed terrorist organizations, such as Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and Majeed Brigade. These outfits, reportedly based in ungoverned areas of Afghanistan, have stepped up acts of terrorism in Pakistan, targeting infrastructure and development projects.
Pakistan’s UN Permanent Representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, brought the matter to the fore in his speech at the UN General Assembly on Monday. He alerted the world that these entities are now employing weapons left behind by foreign troops upon their 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan to carry out increasingly sophisticated attacks.
“Afghan-based terrorists have also employed these weapons to carry out more sophisticated attacks on Pakistan, including in the past fortnight,” Ambassador Ahmad said, according to The Dawn.
He noted that the TTP currently operates from Afghan soil with around 6,000 militants, making it the largest UN-listed terrorist organization.
“We should make sure that Afghanistan is not turned into a breeding ground for terrorists that target its neighbors and the international community at large,” he further noted.
Terror Attacks Intensify in Pakistan
Ambassador Ahmad’s statement comes after an upsurge in fatal terror attacks throughout Pakistan. On June 28, a June 28 suicide blast in North Waziristan killed 16 military personnel, while a Bajaur roadside bombing killed five senior administrative officials, including an Assistant Commissioner.
Parallel to the UN appeal, diplomatic efforts between Kabul and Islamabad have also moved forward. Both countries, as per ANI, conducted their first-ever additional secretary-level talks on Monday, following Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to Afghanistan in April. Pakistani envoy Ambassador Syed Ali Asad Gillani and Afghan envoy Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor led their respective delegations to talks on security, trade, and regional connectivity.
India Also Condemns Pak for Supporting Terror
A related development, India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, in a May interview with a German newspaper, again stated that terror groups function freely in Pakistan.
“Terrorism functions freely in Pakistan with the support, sponsorship, and involvement of the country’s military and state machinery,” Dr Jaishankar said, and added that India will make sure that there are repercussions for any attack.
