ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday urged the United Nations (UN) to prevent the use of Afghan soil by militant groups to threaten neighboring countries, saying “efforts must be made to prevent external spoilers from exploiting the situation.”
Pakistan, which has been witnessing a renewed surge in militant violence, has frequently accused Afghanistan of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), to operate on its soil and India of backing them in attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegations.
The surge in militant violence in Pakistan triggered one of the worst skirmishes between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Oct. last year, after Islamabad hit what it called TTP targets inside Afghanistan. Pakistan has since suspended all trade with Afghanistan, despite a ceasefire reached between the neighbors in Doha that same month.
On Thursday, Pakistan voted in favor of a UN Security Council resolution that extended for 12 months the mandate of the team tasked with monitoring sanctions against the Taliban and their associated groups and individuals, welcoming the unanimous adoption of the resolution that is both “timely and necessary.”
