‘Since 2022, more than 214 Afghan terrorists, including suicide bombers, have been neutralized in Pakistan’
Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad Photo: APP
Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that terrorism from Afghan soil poses the “most serious threat” to Pakistan’s security as the Taliban supports terrorist groups and allows them safe passage to operate across the border with impunity and free will.
“Afghanistan is once again a safe haven for terrorist groups and their proxies, with devastating consequences and growing security challenges for its immediate neighbors, particularly Pakistan, and the region and beyond,” said Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, during a debate on the situation in that country.
“Terrorist entities, including ISIL-K, Al-Qaeda, TTP, ETIM, BLA and the Majeed Brigade, enjoy safe havens on the territory of Afghanistan, with dozens of terrorist camps enabling cross-border infiltration and violent attacks, including suicide bombings,” he said, adding that there was evidence of collaboration between these terrorist groups through joint training, illicit arms trade, safe haven for terrorists and coordinated attacks against Pakistan using Afghan soil.
“And it is not surprising that a detractor in the region, opportunist and saboteur, as always, has acted quickly to intensify his sponsorship of terrorist activities through material, technical and financial support to terrorist groups and proxies active against Pakistan from Afghan soil,” the Pakistani envoy said in an obvious reference to India, whose relations with the Taliban have improved significantly, leading to the reopening of the Indian embassy in Kabul.
Indeed, India’s speech at the Council contrasted sharply with its previous denunciation of Taliban policies. India, said Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, “deeply values its civilizational relationship and centuries-old ties of friendship with Afghanistan, and this history continues to guide our actions to forge deeper ties” with Afghans.
In his remarks, Ambassador Asim Ahmad, the Pakistani envoy, said Pakistan had regularly engaged with the Taliban authorities over the past four years, but unfortunately instead of seeing them take concrete, effective and decisive action against terrorist groups, “we saw a sharp increase in terrorist attacks against Pakistan; planned, financed and orchestrated using Afghan soil under their supervision.”
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“This year alone, we have lost close to 1,200 lives to terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. Since 2022, more than 214 Afghan terrorists, including suicide bombers, have been neutralized in Pakistan during CT (counter-terrorism) operations.”
He linked border clashes directly to terrorism and security, and urged UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) to provide an objective assessment of border security.
Pakistan has supported the dialogue process in Doha and Istanbul, the Pakistani envoy said. But if the Taliban does not take concrete and verifiable measures against terrorist groups, Pakistan will take all necessary defensive measures.
Pakistan, which has hosted Afghan refugees for more than four decades, also believes that Afghans should return to their country in a dignified and orderly manner, he added.
Ambassador Asim Ahmad also said the Taliban’s continued restrictions on women and girls were “inconsistent with Islamic traditions and norms of Muslim society, as also highlighted by OIC countries on several occasions.”
Pakistan, he said, fully shares the concerns of the international community on the issue of human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
“No country wants peace and stability in Afghanistan more than Pakistan,” the Pakistani envoy added, urging the Taliban to promote an environment conducive to sincere dialogue, address Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns and emerge from a “state of denial” that benefits no one.
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For her part, the United States delegate said: “Simply put, the Taliban are not good faith interlocutors and do not care about the well-being of the Afghan people.” They (the Taliban) manipulate international support, ignore the basic needs of Afghans and demonstrate little will to fulfill their international commitments.
If the Taliban prevent the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) from carrying out its tasks, then the Council should consider realigning its mandate to this reality, he said.
Briefing the 15-member Council, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan Georgette Gagnon and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said almost half the population will need protection and humanitarian assistance by 2026.
“Women and girls continue to be ‘systematically excluded’ from almost every aspect of public life,” Gagnon said, as the ban on secondary and higher education for girls has entered its fourth year, depriving the country of future doctors, teachers and leaders.
“Press freedom is increasingly restricted. Journalists face intimidation, detention and censorship, reducing the space for public debate and public participation,” he added.
Afghans – both women and men – also face daily intrusions under the law from de facto authorities on the “propagation of virtue and prevention of vice,” he added, describing a pattern of systematic interference in private lives.
At the same time, humanitarian needs are increasing. Fletcher, the U.N. humanitarian chief, said nearly 22 million people will need assistance next year, and Afghanistan is now among the world’s biggest humanitarian crises.
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“For the first time in four years, the number of people suffering from hunger has increased,” he warned. Some 17.4 million Afghans are now food insecure, while massive funding cuts have left the response “stretched at breaking point”.
More than 300 food delivery points have been closed, leaving 1.1 million children without life-saving nutrition, while 1.7 million are at risk of dying without treatment. The health system is also collapsing: 422 health centers were closed in 2025, leaving three million people without access to vital care.
Adding to the tension, Afghanistan has seen record refugee returns: more than 2.6 million Afghans returned in 2025 alone, bringing the total in two years to more than four million. Most arrive with few possessions and are absorbed into already impoverished communities.
“Women and children accounted for 60% of all returns this year,” said Fletcher, returning to a country where women are prohibited from accessing education, work and, in some cases, healthcare.
