UN, China warn Pakistan over terror gush from Afghanistan

Addressing a high-level briefing on the Counter-Terrorism Early Warning Network for Central Asia on Friday, Chinese Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei said that while the Central Asia region remained broadly stable, it continued to be affected by cross-border terrorism, the Dawn reported.

“Currently, the Central Asia region remains generally stable, yet is still deeply affected by the spillover effect of terrorist threats,” he said.

The Chinese envoy suggested that Pakistan should cooperate with Afghanistan to resolve this issue. “We need to strengthen engagement and cooperation with Afghanistan to prevent it from once again becoming a safe haven for terrorist organisations, and to jointly prevent and address the return of foreign terrorist fighters,” he said.

Just a day ago, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned Pakistan about similar threats coming from Afghanistan, while he was in New York. He said the UN remained committed to four key objectives in Afghanistan, while voicing frustration over the Taliban’s failure to make progress on inclusivity, human rights and regional security.

“We need to make sure that Afghan institutions are truly inclusive, that all ethnic groups are represented and that all sectors of society are represented,” he said, calling this “a basic condition for the consolidation of peace” Guterres also expressed dismay at how Taliban continues to abridge women’s rights.

“[UN Undersecretary General] Rosemary DiCarlo managed to guarantee the possibility for our female staff to work in the field, but not in our headquarters, and we are very frustrated by that.” He described the Taliban’s failure to meet the expectations of the international community as “unacceptable”.

Turning to security, Guterres highlighted the threat posed by groups operating from Afghan soil.

“Another aspect is the need to make sure that no terrorist organisations can operate from Afghanistan into other countries. We are particularly concerned about what has happened with the Pakistani Taliban [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan] and the support they might receive.”

Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has said that allegations about Afghan soil being used against Pakistan are grave in nature and must be backed by credible evidence from the federal government, Tolo News reported.

Speaking at a meeting, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi pointed out that Afghanistan shares borders with multiple countries, yet none of them have raised complaints similar to those made by Pakistan. He stressed that any claim regarding the use of Afghan territory against Pakistan must be substantiated with proof.

“Other countries also share borders with Afghanistan, but they have made no such complaints. If there is a claim that Afghan soil is being used against Pakistan, evidence must be presented. It is the government’s responsibility to do so,” Sohail Afridi said, as per the Tolo News.

The Chief Minister also expressed concern over the ongoing expulsion of Afghan migrants from Pakistan, criticising the manner in which deportations are being carried out. He said that many Afghans who entered Pakistan legally are engaged in work and contributing to the country’s economy, yet are being treated harshly.

Highlighting what he termed as an inconsistent policy, Afridi said, “Those who came legally, who are working and have created employment opportunities for others, are being forcefully and violently expelled. There is a discriminatory approach here between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Afghans, while policy should be uniform and consistent.”

Meanwhile, political analysts like Dawood Shiraz have warned that Pakistan’s repeated accusations have had a negative impact on Kabul-Islamabad ties and have called for dialogue to ease tensions between the two sides, as per the Tolo News.

Shiraz said that Afghanistan maintains relations with several neighbouring countries without facing similar issues. He said, “We have connections with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan, and even China yet we have no issues with any neighboring country. Since the Islamic Emirate took power, security has been maintained, just as Sohail Afridi mentioned. The real issue lies in the lack of negotiations.”

Another political analyst, Fareedullah Zazai, dismissed allegations against Afghanistan, saying, “The narrative that Afghan soil is being used against Pakistan or that Afghanistan’s current government has an anti-Pakistan stance all of these are baseless accusations, mostly driven by political motives.”

Officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have repeatedly rejected Pakistan’s claims, maintaining that Afghan soil will not be allowed to be used against any country, Tolo News reported.