ISLAMABAD: For the first time on Monday, Pakistan raised the issue of Jaffar Express terror attack by the outlawed BLA in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), blaming Afghanistan for being ineffective in taking out terrorist groups and complicit in the cross-border attacks. It also asked the UNSC to take effective measures to counter these terrorist attacks from across Pakistan’s western borders which would soon propose concrete steps to counter terrorism.
“Throughout the attack (on Jaffar Express), the terrorists were in direct contact with their handlers in Afghanistan, from where the attack was planned and directed. We also have evidence that this attack was initiated and financed by our principal adversary, using its proxies in Afghanistan,” said Ambassador Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN.
He was speaking during the adoption of resolution for the mandate renewal of United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA), where Pakistan voted for the resolution which extended UNAMA’s mandate by one year. The initial draft of this resolution was circulated by China and Pakistan.
“The Security Council and its Counter-Terrorism machinery must also take such ‘active measures’ to secure implementation of our decisions to address the challenge of terrorism within and from Afghanistan, particularly from ISIL-K, Al-Qaida, the TTP, BLA and the Majeed Brigade. These terrorist organizations pose a serious threat to peace and security in Afghanistan, in the region and globally. Pakistan will propose some concrete steps to enable the United Nations to achieve these CT objectives,” said the ambassador.
He pointed out that last week the BLA and Majeed Brigade launched an attack on a passenger train in Balochistan province of Pakistan, held hundreds of hostages on the train and killed 25 innocent people.
“Thirty-three terrorists were killed by Pakistani special forces in a bold rescue operation. Throughout the attack, the terrorists were in direct contact with their handlers in Afghanistan, from where the attack was planned and directed. We also have evidence that this attack was initiated and financed by our principal adversary, using its proxies in Afghanistan,” he added.
The ambassador put forth a forceful plea that Pakistan had legitimately demanded that the international community – and the Security Council – address terrorism within and from Afghanistan as a matter of priority. “We appreciate the press statement issued by the Council on 14 March which condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express and the taking of passengers as hostages.”
The Members of the Council have “underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and to bring them to justice” and it also called on all states to “cooperate actively” with Pakistan to this end, he said.
Pakistan pointed out that apart from the need for adequate humanitarian assistance to destitute Afghans, Pakistan had consistently asserted that the foremost among these challenges faced in Afghanistan was terrorism within and from Afghanistan.
“The Taliban government has not been effective in eliminating ISIS/Daesh; it has tolerated several other terrorist groups and is complicit in the cross-border attacks against Pakistan by the TTP, together with the BLA and the Majeed Brigade,” said the ambassador.
The UNSC was also informed that it was no accident when on Sunday a Bloomberg article headlined: “Pakistan’s economy is back, but so is terrorism”.
“The train attack and other such terrorist attacks that are taking place against Pakistan are clearly designed to destabilize Pakistan and in particular to disrupt Pakistan’s cooperation with China and the implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor”, he said.
Pakistan is also gratified that the resolution adopted by the Council today has (in preambular paragraph .7) expressed “serious concern over the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan” and further reaffirmed its “demand that the territory of Afghanistan should not be used to threaten or attack any country, to plan or finance terrorist acts, or to shelter and train terrorists” and “that no Afghan group or individual should support terrorists operating on the territory of any country”. “The resolution has called on the Taliban to take active measures to combat terrorism,” said the ambassador.
Despite continued terror attacks from Afghanistan, Pakistan nevertheless assured the UNSC that it remained committed to cooperating with UNAMA, and Special Representative Otunbayeva in promoting peace, security and development in Afghanistan which confronted multiple challenges of development, drugs and terrorism.
