In a significant address to the United Nations Security Council, Pakistan’s Ambassador, Asim Iftikhar, brought global attention to the alarming rise of right-wing extremists and fascist movements worldwide. He strongly criticized what he termed the “dangerous stigmatisation of Islam and Muslims,” pointing to a glaring inconsistency in the UN’s counter-terrorism efforts. Ambassador Iftikhar noted that it is both incomprehensible and unacceptable that every individual on the Security Council’s terrorism sanctions lists is Muslim, while terrorists from other backgrounds are often overlooked or their actions classified merely as violent crimes, not terrorism.
The Pakistani envoy emphasized that this biased approach directly contradicts the stated positions of both the UN and the Security Council, which recognize terrorism as a global phenomenon that must not be associated with any religion, nationality, or ethnic group. He urged the international body to make adequate changes to its sanctions regimes to properly address these new and emerging threats, calling for an immediate end to the prejudice that singles out one community.
Shifting focus to regional security, Ambassador Iftikhar outlined the severe and immediate threats Pakistan faces. He identified India as a principal adversary that actively bankrolls and supports terrorist proxies targeting Pakistan. Furthermore, he detailed the grave danger posed by groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch terrorist organizations, which operate from safe havens in Afghanistan. With nearly 6,000 fighters, the TTP is the largest UN-designated terrorist group and directly threatens Pakistan’s national security and economic projects through collaboration with groups like the BLA.
Concluding his statement, the Ambassador stressed that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms. He reminded the council that few nations have sacrificed more in the global fight against terrorism, citing 80,000 Pakistani casualties and hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses. Despite these challenges, he reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering resolve to eliminate the menace of terrorism and its commitment to the success of international counter-terrorism efforts.
