Attacks From Afghanistan Have Killed 4,700 People, Says Pakistan Envoy

Pakistan’s UN representative has expressed deep concern over what he called growing terrorist activity from Afghan territory, saying more than 4,700 Pakistanis have been killed in such attacks over the past three years.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting on Friday, 11 September, marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Balochistan Liberation Army and its Majeed Brigade continued to operate from safe havens in Afghanistan with significant foreign support.

He said the groups had carried out some of the most brutal terrorist attacks against Pakistan.

Pakistan’s representative also criticised the absence of restrictive measures and UN Security Council sanctions against the Balochistan Liberation Army, saying the group was operating freely.

According to Ahmad, Pakistan’s efforts to have the Balochistan Liberation Army added to the Security Council sanctions list have so far been unsuccessful.

He stressed that other groups, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and ISIS, must also be effectively contained.

The Pakistani representative described the terrorist threat in Afghanistan, alongside threats in Africa and the Middle East, as a serious concern in the global fight against terrorism.

In recent years, Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban administration of allowing Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to operate from Afghan territory and has urged Kabul to act against the group.

Islamabad also considers the Balochistan Liberation Army one of its main security threats and alleges that its members also operate from Afghanistan against Pakistan.

The Taliban administration has rejected the accusations, saying it does not allow any group to use Afghan territory against other countries.

The Taliban has also repeatedly said that insecurity in Pakistan is the country’s internal matter and that Islamabad should address its security problems inside Pakistan.

Security tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban administration have increased in recent months.

Pakistan has justified military strikes and operations along the Afghan border as action against armed groups based in Afghanistan, while the Taliban has described the attacks as violations of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.