United Nations July 7, 2025(Kamran Raja): We thank you for organizing this debate. It is an important opportunity to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. Pakistan is Afghanistan’s closest neighbor. Our two great nations have shared destinies drawing strength from fraternal bonds of geography, history, culture, ethnicity, language, faith and civilization. As immediate neighbors, peace and stability in Afghanistan is a natural imperative for Pakistan. The people of Afghanistan have suffered immensely. Forty years of civil wars, foreign interventions, violence and terrorism have wreaked havoc in the country, bringing destruction, instability, chaos and displacement- that did not remain within its borders. For the first time in more than four decades, we have seen an end to fighting in Afghanistan. It has been nearly four years since the Taliban takeover. There is renewed hope for a better future for an Afghanistan at peace with itself, its neighbors and the international community. An Afghanistan which respects and nurtures all Afghans, regardless of considerations of gender, ethnicity, political affiliation or religion and a prosperous Afghanistan free from terrorism; fully integrated into the international community. Yet, there is also an element of despair and fear. Afghan people continue to suffer – crippling sanctions, a dysfunctional banking system, liquidity crisis, poverty, diminishing humanitarian aid, terrorism, narcotics and human rights concerns have worsened their plight. Regrettably, Afghan soil also continues to be used by terrorists, often proxies, against other countries, particularly Pakistan.
Mr. President,
We must not abandon Afghanistan. Practical and pragmatic engagement through dialogue and diplomacy is the only way forward. Pakistan has maintained sustained high-level engagement with the de facto authorities. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, visited Kabul on 19th of April and in May we had a successful trilateral dialogue with Afghanistan and China at the Foreign Minister’s level in Beijing. We also support regional forums such as the Moscow Format, the Foreign Minister’s meeting of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries and the SCO. We welcome UN led efforts, such as Doha Process, for structured engagement with the de facto authorities. Pakistan was in fact among the first to call for sustained engagement and proposed a roadmap with clear pathways for normalization. We welcome UN-led efforts to provide alternative livelihoods to farmers following the Taliban’s ban on opium cultivation, as a step in the right direction. A comprehensive and inclusive framework is urgently needed—with equal attention to all issues in a balanced manner and that also addresses regional concerns as also identified in the independent assessment report.
Mr. President,
Our first priority must be to avert a humanitarian disaster. The 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is critically underfunded—with only 15.7% of the required $2.42 billion secured so far. The international community must fully and unconditionally fund this plan. Afghanistan’s problems directly impact us. Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans for decades and we continue to protect vulnerable Afghans despite our limitations. Since August 2021, an additional one million undocumented individuals crossed into Pakistan, creating among other issues, law-and-order concerns. The international community in our view must share this burden more equitably. Secondly, we must revive the Afghan economy and banking system, including unfreezing of financial assets, and to enable trade and investment. On its part Pakistan is committed to expanding trade and pursuing regional connectivity initiatives such as TAPI, CASA-1000, Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway and extension of the CPEC to Afghanistan, that can contribute immensely to development and peace in Afghanistan and the region. Third, we should acknowledge that there is one authority that controls the territory of Afghanistan with no credible challenge to it. We must avoid actions that could ignite another conflict in Afghanistan which can affect the entire region. We need to ensure that “spoilers” – within or outside Afghanistan – are prevented from fomenting instability and terrorism.
Fourth, we must ensure that Afghanistan does not become a breeding ground for terrorists that threatens not only its neighbors, but the region and beyond. Terrorism emanating from Afghanistan is a serious threat to its neighbors, particularly Pakistan. ISIL-K (Daesh) continues to target the de facto authorities while other terrorist entities including Al-Qaeda, al Fitna Al Khawarij TTP, and the Baloch militant groups, continue to operate from ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan. Afghanistan must not become a safe haven for terrorism against any other country. The TTP, with around 6,000 fighters, is the largest UN-designated terrorist group operating from Afghan soil, directly threatening Pakistan’s national security. With cross recruitment between various terrorist groups, including the TTP and ISIL-K, TTP poses a threat not only to our national security but the region and the world. We continue to see attempts by TTP terrorists to infiltrate into Pakistan from Afghanistan. A significant cache of modern weapons, ammunition and sophisticated equipment originally left behind by the international forces in Afghanistan have been-confiscated by our law enforcement agencies. These weapons have been used by Afghan-based terrorists, to launch increasingly sophisticated attacks against Pakistan, including in the last two weeks. These incidents underscore the scale and seriousness of the threat we face. Pakistan will continue to take all possible action to ensure the safety and security of its people.
We also have credible evidence of collaboration between the TTP and other groups, such as the BLA and Majeed Brigade, aimed at disrupting strategic infrastructure and economic development projects in Pakistan.
Mr. President,
Pakistan fully shares the international community’s expectations from the de facto authorities to fulfill their international obligations especially women’s rights and greater political and social inclusion. We are seriously concerned about the continued restrictions on women and girls, which are inconsistent with international norms and Islamic traditions. At the international conference on girls’ education in Muslim communities, held under the auspices of the Muslim World League in January this year, the Islamabad Declaration reaffirmed the consensus that education for girls is a fundamental human right rooted in Islamic values. Pakistan continues to support educational activities and opportunities for the Afghan youth. The third phase of our Allama Iqbal Scholarship Programme is currently underway, benefitting 4,500 Afghan students—one-third of whom are girls.
Mr. President,
What could not be realized through force, will not be achieved through isolation, sanctions or financial coercion. To the contrary, it could lead to renewed conflict and violence amidst growing poverty and hunger, and generate a fresh exodus of refugees and displacements, which none of Afghanistan’s neighbors are in a position to accommodate. The international community must speak with a unified voice to hold the de facto authorities to their commitments, including not to allow the use of Afghan soil against any country and to ensure the shared goal of a stable and prosperous Afghanistan free from terrorism, at peace within, and without. Pakistan is ready to support regional and international engagement efforts with Afghanistan. There must be clear objectives, reciprocal steps and a realistic roadmap, sensitive to Afghanistan’s unique social and political fabric and in the best interests of its people. Pakistan stands committed to playing a constructive and proactive role in helping Afghanistan achieve lasting peace and stability.