PAKISTAN’S intimation to the UN Security Council that terrorist outfits operating from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan now pose “the gravest threat” to its national security should not be viewed as a bilateral matter, but a timely warning on the resurgent threat of terrorism and militancy that could eventually spill over to the wider region. Pakistan has specifically sought stronger international action against various violent actors that have been utilising both physical and digital means to target the country from “more than 60 […] terrorist camps” in Afghanistan, which are “serving as hubs for enabling cross-border infiltration and attacks”. More alarmingly, Pakistani authorities now have evidence that terrorist entities like the IS-K, Al Qaeda, TTP, ETIM and BLA have been collaborating in areas like “joint training, illicit weapons trade, [providing] refuge to terrorists, and coordinated attacks — all aimed at targeting civilian and law-enforcement agencies and disrupting and sabotaging infrastructure and development projects in Pakistan”. This is a deeply worrying development: disparate terrorist outfits cannot be allowed to reorganise as a unified threat that could potentially become a bigger problem for the region.

It is, therefore, hoped that Pakistan’s warning has not fallen on deaf ears. It is also commendable that Pakistan seems to have consciously avoided antagonising the Taliban regime in Afghanistan while raising this matter at the UNSC forum. For context, UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed’s statement began with a long preamble about the challenges being faced by the Afghan people and the world’s obligation to help them find solutions. In particular, the representative was careful to point out that Afghanistan’s problems stem “not only from Taliban policies and the country’s turbulent history but also from shifting global priorities, lack of unity and slow response of the international community” when it came to addressing the country’s needs. It is hoped that the Taliban regime keeps this genuine concern for the Afghan people in perspective when engaging with Pakistan on security-related matters. The onus is on the Kabul regime to prevent cross-border attacks against Pakistan. It must realise that it is in its own interests that all problematic elements are brought under control. It makes no sense for the two countries to be at odds over this matter, especially when Islamabad seems genuinely concerned about the challenges being faced next door.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2025