The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) report has endorsed Pakistan’s view regarding terrorists of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) taking refuge within hideouts and sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
Addressing the weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the report mentions how the TTP – declared as ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’ by the Pakistani government – could “transform into an extra regional threat as well as and “umbrella organisation” of other terror groups.
The UN report, according to Baloch, pointed out that the TTP operatives and its new recruits are being trained in Afghanistan.
FO then urged Afghanistan to take immediate, effective and robust action against the terrorist groups including the ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’. Baloch further maintained that the Afghan side must ensure that their land is not used for terrorist activities inside Pakistan.
The FO spokesperson said that Pakistan had long been conveying that the terrorist outfit had a support structure in Afghanistan, adding that the UN report highlighted the increased collaboration of the banned terrorist organisation with the Afghan Taliban. “We have also been urging Afghanistan to take immediate and robust action against those using Afghan soil for terror activities in Pakistan,” she said.
The FO remarks came in response to the UNSC report that revealed “an increased collaboration between the TTP and Afghan Taliban in the cross-border terrorist attacks mainly against Pakistani military posts”.
The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which produced the UNSC report, said Pakistan suffered more than eight hundred attacks in the past several months.
It added that the terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan is causing heightened concern in many UN member states.
The report underscored that there is increased support and collaboration between TTP and the Taliban, sharing manpower and training camps in Afghanistan and conducting more lethal attacks under the banner of Tehrik-e Jihad Pakistan.
“According to the report, Al-Qaeda seeks to strengthen cooperation with regional terrorist organizations of non-Afghan origin, such as ETIM/TIP, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Jamaat Ansarullah for expansion to Central Asia,” a Radio Pakistan news report stated.
Meanwhile, FO spokesperson also commented on the assassination of the Chief of the Political Bureau of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, stating that targeting individuals inside sovereign states is a violation of international law and global norms.
Baloch maintained that such acts carry the seeds of further escalation and that it is yet another demonstration of indiscriminate and disproportionate Israeli aggression that has continued unabated to the detriment of regional and global peace and security
The spokesperson said Israel must be held accountable for its transgressions and actions.
“Israeli’s extraterritorial acts have endangered regional security,” a statement by the FO read,
Baloch urged the backers of Israel to prevail on Israel to end its unlawful military operations in violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the region.
Moreover, the FO dismissed an Iranian statement regarding the situation in Parachinar as ‘unnecessary’, asserting that the comments did not reflect the full situation.
The spokesperson emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to ensure the safety of its citizens and maintaining regional stability.
Mumtaz stated that any loss of life is unacceptable and assured that the Ministry of Interior is actively working to address the security concerns in Parachinar. “Pakistan is responsible for the protection of its citizens, and the Iranian statement on Parachinar is unwarranted, lacking a comprehensive understanding of the situation,” she remarked.
