Pakistan urges UNSC to ask Taliban to cut ties with TTP

UNITED NATIONS  -  A top Pakistani diplomat has called on the UN Security Coun­cil to join Pakistan in demand­ing that the Taliban authorities terminate their relationship with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pa­kistan (TTP), which is respon­sible for persistent attacks against Pakistan’s military and civilian targets. 

“Left unchecked, the TTP, supported by Al-Qaeda and some State sponsors, could soon pose a global terrorist threat,” Ambassador Munir Akram warned the 15-mem­ber Council on Wednesday. 

Speaking in a debate on the situation in Afghanistan, the Pa­kistani envoy said, “The Afghan Interim Government’s failure to control the TTP and other ter­rorist groups erodes its claim of full control of its territory that it asserts in order to secure inter­national recognition.”

He also urged the United Na­tions to undertake an investi­gation to find out how the TTP has acquired advanced military equipment and weaponry and to identify the sources of the TTP’s financing, which is help­ing sustain its 50,000 fighters and their dependents and its terrorist operations. 

Regarding the reported bor­der incidents, the exchange of fire by Pakistani security forc­es was always in response to cross-border attacks by the TTP and its affiliates against Pakistan’s border posts and installations. 

“We would expect the UN to call on the Afghan Interim Government to prevent such cross-border attacks and infil­tration by the TTP and other ter­rorists into Pakistani territory.”

Highlighting that terrorist organizations in Afghanistan pose a security threat to each one of the country’s immedi­ate neighbours, Ambassador Akram said, “Counter terror­ism must be the highest prior­ity in any future Roadmap for engagement with the Afghan Interim Government.”

At the same time, he said that the international community must help millions of destitute Afghans through the provision of “unconditional” humanitar­ian assistance. It was also im­portant to support Afghani­stan’s economy and, to this end, the international community should help revive the bank­ing system and facilitate the release of frozen assets to the country’s central bank.

For its part, Ambassador Akram said that the Taliban must fulfill its internation­al obligations — especial­ly regarding the fundamen­tal rights of women and girls — promote inclusivity and, above all, eliminate terrorism within and from Afghanistan. 

He called for a realistic road map, with reciprocal steps by the Afghan interim Gov­ernment and the internation­al community, leading to the country’s integration into the international community.

The Pakistani envoy also de­tailed some objections to the Secretary-General’s report on the situation in Afghanistan, in­cluding its claim of an “unfa­vourable protection environ­ment in Pakistan”. On that, he underscored that Pakistan has sheltered almost 5 million Af­ghan refugees for over 40 years at great economic, social and se­curity cost with little help from the international community.