At the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Open Debate on Small Arms, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, delivered a powerful statement warning that the unchecked spread of illicit weapons in Afghanistan poses a grave threat to regional and international peace.
“Pakistan is seriously concerned about the presence of stockpiles of sophisticated arms and ammunition in Afghanistan, as noted in the findings of the Secretary-General’s reports. These sophisticated weapons pose a direct threat to neighbouring countries,” the ambassador cautioned.
He further added, “We also have credible information of attempts to smuggle these arms to neighbouring countries for terrorist activities. Weapons confiscated at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border are traced back to stockpiles of weapons left behind by foreign forces in Afghanistan and illegal weapons being sold across black markets in Afghanistan.”
Ambassador Ahmad stressed that “the movement of unmarked or unregistered weapons across the international border sustains and aids non-state armed groups, terrorist networks, and criminal gangs, undermining regional security and stability.”
“We are also deeply concerned at the acquisition and use of these mostly abandoned, modern and potent weapons by terrorist groups based in Afghanistan – which continue to pose serious challenges to peace and security in Pakistan and the broader region,” he noted.
The Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN envoy named banned terror outfits operating from Afghan soil: “Terrorist entities including ISIL-K, TTP Fitna Al Khawarij – a UN-listed terrorist organisation – and the BLA and Majeed Brigade, which operate with impunity from Afghanistan, enabled by external financing and support of principal destabilising actor in the region, have used these weapons against Pakistani civilians and law enforcement agencies – leading to the loss of thousands of innocent lives.”
Calling for conclusive global action, Ambassador Ahmad urged, “We urge stronger international efforts to prevent access of illicit arms to armed terrorist groups in Afghanistan and to ensure that the Afghan interim authorities adhere to their international obligations and commitments in that regard. The international community needs to step up its efforts and plug gaps in its response to effectively address these threats to international and regional peace and security.”
Concluding his address, the ambassador reaffirmed Pakistan’s principle stance that “the issue of illicit small arms and light weapons should be addressed comprehensively and in a balanced manner,” noting that the UN Programme of Action on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons remains a vital global framework to safeguard international stability.
