UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan on Wednesday called on the UN Security Council to expedite action on a pending proposal to place the banned Balochistan Liberation Army on its sanctions list under the 1267 framework.
Addressing a council briefing on threats to international peace arising from terrorism, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the designation request was already before the body and expressed hope for early action.
He thanked council members for condemning recent attacks in Balochistan through a press statement and acknowledged what he described as international expressions of support for Pakistan. He said the country remained determined to counter what he termed externally backed militant activity and to identify those providing assistance from outside its borders.
The envoy said Pakistan had borne significant human and economic costs in global counterterrorism efforts, citing more than 90,000 casualties over the years. He recalled Pakistan’s role in earlier campaigns against Al Qaeda and in efforts against the regional affiliate of the militant Islamic State group.
However, he said the regional security climate had worsened after the change of government in Afghanistan, claiming that groups such as Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and the BLA had gained operational space. He alleged that these groups were using Afghan territory and receiving backing from across Pakistan’s eastern border to carry out attacks.
Referring to recent incidents in Balochistan, the ambassador said the BLA had claimed responsibility for coordinated assaults in which 48 civilians were killed, including women and children. He added that security forces had responded by killing 145 militants.
He noted that the United States had last year designated the BLA and its Majeed Brigade faction as foreign terrorist organisations.
Ambassador Ahmad also cited findings from the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, saying the threat from militant networks based in Afghanistan extended beyond Pakistan to the wider region. He referred to reported attacks near Central Asian borders as evidence of the spillover risk.
He warned about the circulation of advanced weaponry left behind after foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan and called for steps to prevent such equipment from reaching armed groups. He urged accountability for actors accused of financing and arming militant organisations.
Calling for a unified international response, he said counterterrorism efforts should be pursued without selective application. He criticised what he described as uneven approaches and called for zero tolerance for state violence, linking the issue to the situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to what he termed struggles against foreign occupation.
He said the forthcoming review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy later this year offered an opportunity to address shortcomings and renew collective commitment. Pakistan, he added, would continue to support multilateral cooperation aimed at confronting terrorism through coordinated action.
