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Pakistan has informed the United Nations that it possesses credible evidence of growing collaboration between banned terrorist outfits including Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and the Majeed Brigade--groups allegedly operating from ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan to target Pakistan's infrastructure and development projects, The Dawn reported.
Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, told the UN General Assembly on Monday that these groups were intensifying attacks on Pakistan in recent weeks. "These weapons have been used by Afghan-based terrorists to launch increasingly sophisticated attacks against Pakistan, including in the last two weeks," he said, referring to weapons and equipment left behind by international forces after their 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, The Dawn added. Ambassador Ahmad said that the TTP--with an estimated 6,000 fighters--remains the largest UN-designated terrorist group operating from Afghan soil. "We must ensure that Afghanistan does not become a breeding ground for terrorists that threaten its neighbours and the broader international community," he told the General Assembly, calling on the United Nations and regional powers to act against "spoilers" who could reignite conflict in the region, The Dawn further reported. His remarks come amid a recent surge in terrorist violence in Pakistan, including a June 28 suicide attack in North Waziristan that killed 16 soldiers, and a roadside bomb in Bajaur that claimed the lives of five senior officials, including an Assistant Commissioner. Meanwhile, Kabul and Islamabad held their first-ever additional secretary-level talks on Monday, in accordance with an agreement reached during Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's April visit to Afghanistan. The Pakistani delegation, led by Additional Secretary (Afghanistan & West Asia) Ambassador Syed Ali Asad Gillani, and the Afghan delegation, headed by DG of the First Political Division Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor, discussed trade, transit, connectivity, and security concerns, according to a statement by Pakistan's Foreign Office. Both sides termed terrorism a serious threat to regional peace and stressed that development could not occur without addressing underlying security challenges. The Pakistani delegation highlighted the need for "concrete actions against terrorist groups operating on Afghan soil", warning that such actors "undermine security and hinder regional development." (ANI)
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