- Pakistani envoy says Taliban regime must fulfil its int’l obligations.
- Terrorism at heart of Afghanistan’s challenges:Â Counsellor Ajmal.
- Envoy says Islamabad would exercise its right to self-defence.
Pakistan has urged the Afghan Taliban regime to end its repression of women and girls and prevent terrorist groups from using Afghan soil to carry out attacks, saying Kabul must fulfil its international obligations.
Speaking during the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, Counsellor Muhammad Jawad Ajmal urged the Taliban regime to take decisive action against terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory.
Pakistan has seen sharp spike in terrorism incidents in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the two provinces bordering Afghanistan, since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan. However, the Afghan Taliban regime has failed to address Pakistan’s concerns and remains reluctant to take decisive action against terror outfits.
Meanwhile, Counsellor Ajmal urged the international community to shoulder its responsibilities towards vulnerable Afghan refugees and support efforts for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan.
He observed that the denial of fundamental freedoms and basic dignity to women and girls reflected the Taliban’s continued retreat from their international commitments.
Such discriminatory and abusive practices were also inconsistent with Islamic laws, traditions and the fundamental tenets of the Muslim faith, he said.
Highlighting Pakistan’s longstanding humanitarian contribution, the envoy noted that Islamabad had hosted millions of Afghan refugees over several decades, often in the absence of adequate international support.
He stressed that the international community must step up and share the responsibility of addressing the refugee situation as Pakistan continues to facilitate vulnerable Afghans within its available capacity.
On the security situation, he underscored that terrorism remained at the heart of Afghanistan’s challenges.
He expressed serious concern over the presence and activities of terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory.
The envoy highlighted the nexus between the Afghan Taliban and terror groups, as well as the role of external actors supporting proxy elements targeting Pakistan and other neighbouring countries.
“The Taliban’s continued failure to publicly denounce these groups raised serious questions about their complicity and support,” he said.
Referring to Pakistan’s actions on March 16, he said that Pakistan had precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure, including drone and ammunition storage facilities used by the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to target Pakistani civilians.
Pakistani forces had targeted the Afghan Taliban’s military installations in Kabul and Nangarhar on the night of March 16.
At the time, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the armed forces “successfully carried out precision airstrikes” as part of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, targeting military installations in Kabul and Nangarhar.
In his address, Counsellor Ajmal maintained that Pakistan could not remain passive in the face of continued terrorist attacks against its people and national security, saying Islamabad would exercise its right to self-defence, whenever necessary and in accordance with international law, against any threat to its citizens and national security.
US plans to deport Afghan immigrants
Separately, a US official and a coalition of veterans and advocacy groups have said that President Donald Trump’s administration plans to deport some Afghan immigrants to Afghanistan.
Many facing removal fled Afghanistan after the 2021 Taliban takeover and US withdrawal, said Shawn VanDiver, head of #AfghanEvac, on Friday.
Some facing deportation are “brothers and sons of men who served alongside US forces, families the Taliban already has every reason to target,” VanDiver added.
Over 150 Afghan immigrants are expected to be deported, the New York Times reported, in one of the largest single expulsions of Afghans.
The administration detained dozens of Afghan immigrants in Louisiana and plans to deport them, the newspaper said, adding the first flight is expected as soon as Monday.
Trump says his immigration crackdown and deportation drive aim to improve domestic security.
The Homeland Security Department said it would not confirm future removal operations, citing operational security.
