Pakistan warns of Afghan-based terrorism as UN expert presses Taliban
Pakistan told the UN Human Rights Council that more than 4,700 Pakistanis died in attacks from Afghanistan in three years. A UN expert separately urged states not to normalise ties with the Taliban.
- Pakistan's UN representative said over 4,700 Pakistanis were killed in attacks from Afghanistan in three years.
- Information ministry called Taliban refusal to act on terrorism the biggest obstacle to normal relations.
- UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett urged states not to normalise relations with the Taliban.
Pakistan has expressed concern over the continued presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, saying the Afghan Taliban government is allowing them to keep operating from its soil. The remarks were made at the UN Human Rights Council.
Pakistan's representative, Muhammad Jawad Ajmal, said more than 4,700 Pakistanis lost their lives in terrorist attacks from Afghanistan over the past three years.
Ajmal accused the Taliban of keeping close ties with terrorist groups that, he said, operate freely on Afghan soil with outside backing. He said the Taliban's failure to publicly condemn these groups reflects support for their activities and alleged collusion.
He also referred to the ninth ministerial conference on women that Pakistan hosted in Islamabad in July. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation adopted the Islamabad Declaration there, expressing concern over Taliban restrictions on women and girls.
UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett told the General Assembly that, five years after taking power, the Taliban has shown no commitment to ending systematic human rights violations. He said restrictions on fundamental freedoms, especially for women and girls, have continued to increase.
Bennett said recent Taliban orders further weakened women's rights and limited women's options to leave violent marriages. He also expressed concern over the Taliban government accepting child marriages. He urged UN member states not to normalise relations with the Taliban until it reverses restrictive policies.
Separately, Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting called the latest tweet by the Afghan Taliban spokesperson misleading. It said the Taliban government's ongoing refusal to act against terrorism is the biggest obstacle to restoring normal relations.
The ministry said Taliban leadership keeps blaming Islamabad's policies while deliberately ignoring terrorism from Afghan soil. It said Pakistan will not allow terrorist sanctuaries across its borders and reserves the right under international law to take all necessary steps against threats to its national security. It added that Kabul must accept responsibility lies with the Afghan Taliban government, and that Pakistan's commitment to protecting its people should not be mistaken for weakness.
Why it matters
Cross-border militant attacks from Afghanistan directly threaten security inside Pakistan, and the statements show the stance Islamabad is taking with Kabul and at the UN.
