NEW YORK: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar Ahmad has alleged that the Taliban government is acting as a proxy to destabilise the region, while militant groups based in Afghanistan have significantly increased terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
In an interview with Arab News, Asim Iftikhar said UN sanctions monitoring teams and reports by the secretary-general had expressed concern over Afghanistan being used as a safe haven by several terrorist groups.
According to the Pakistani envoy, more than 5,200 terrorism-related incidents were recorded in Pakistan in 2025, resulting in over 1,300 deaths, while more than 3,000 attacks during the first six months of 2026 had killed over 830 Pakistanis.
He clarified that these figures covered broader terrorism-related incidents in Pakistan, while the Global Terrorism Index recorded 1,045 terrorist incidents and 1,139 terrorism-related deaths in Pakistan during 2025.
Asim Iftikhar identified the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Balochistan Liberation Army, Majeed Brigade and a regional group affiliated with Islamic State as major threats to Pakistan. He said some of these groups were also operating as proxies of elements opposed to Pakistan in the region.
Asked about the Afghan Taliban’s failure to stop the TTP, or alleged deliberate cooperation with it, the Pakistani envoy said the issue was not merely a lack of capability or political will. He alleged that the Taliban government was providing the TTP with safe havens, weapons and ammunition, financial support, planning and facilitation for cross-border infiltration.
He also said modern weapons left behind following the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan were being used by militants.
Asim Iftikhar said the international community had three basic expectations from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover: the establishment of an inclusive government, respect for human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls, and preventing Afghan territory from being used for terrorism against other countries.
He said that five years on, there had been no progress in these three areas and that the situation had instead deteriorated further.
He cited restrictions on women’s education and employment and the limited nature of governance as examples of the situation.
The Pakistani envoy said Pakistan’s differences with Afghanistan were not with the Afghan people but with policies whose consequences Pakistan had directly faced. He urged the Taliban to take clear and verifiable action against groups such as the TTP, including ending safe havens and financial support.
He said countries including Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, China and Qatar had played roles in mediation efforts between Pakistan and Afghanistan, but the Taliban leadership had failed to provide the required assurances.
Asim Iftikhar said the Taliban leadership could end Afghanistan’s isolation, frozen assets and lack of formal international recognition by changing its policies.
