Calling the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) attention to the increasing threat posed by right-wing extremists and fascist movements, Pakistan has condemned the “dangerous stigmatization of Islam and Muslims.” During a UNSC meeting on “Threats to international peace & security caused by terrorist acts,” Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar stated, “It is not understandable, and is indeed unacceptable, that every name on the Security Council’s terrorism lists is Muslim, while terrorists and violent extremists elsewhere escape scrutiny. There is no non-Muslim in the lists.”
Urging for changes to be made to the sanctions regimes to include new and emerging threats, Ambassador Iftikhar called for an “end to the stigmatization of Islam and Muslims.” “We must accept the reality. There has been a surge in the emergence of right-wing, extremist, and fascist movements in several countries and regions of the world, leading to terrorist violence,” the Pakistani envoy remarked. He added, “Yet, we see a strong inclination to see acts by non-Muslims not as terrorism, but often described just as violent crime.”
The diplomat further highlighted that the current situation contradicts the stated position of the UN and UNSC that terrorism is a global phenomenon and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization, or ethnic group.
BLA-TTP Nexus: A Grave and Immediate Threat
During the same session, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar highlighted that Pakistan’s main adversary, India, is actively sponsoring terrorism within Pakistan. He stated that New Delhi financially supports and backs terrorist proxies. “Indeed, terrorism within and from Afghanistan is the single most potent threat to that country, to the region, and the world,” he remarked, adding that the threat from various other terrorist groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch terror groups, which have found refuge in ungoverned areas in Afghanistan, remains unaddressed.
Iftikhar noted, “For Pakistan, the danger is grave and immediate. The TTP, with nearly 6,000 fighters, is the largest UN-designated terrorist group operating from Afghan soil.” He further maintained that “with safe havens close to our borders, it directly threatens our national security.” He also said there was “credible evidence of collaboration between the TTP and BLA and the Majeed Brigade, including the sharing of terrorist training camps, that has targeted our strategic infrastructure, economic projects in Pakistan, and most tragically our people.”
Stressing that Islamabad condemns terrorism in all its forms, the envoy said that few other countries have contributed more to the global counter-terrorism efforts. “Pakistan has been at the forefront on both counts—with 80,000 casualties and hundreds of billions of dollars in losses to our economy, Pakistan’s sacrifices are unmatched. So is our resolve to eliminate this menace,” he said.
