Moscow consultation moot informed: 4,700 Pakistanis killed in attacks originating from Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has issued yet another strong warning over what it describes as the mounting terrorism threat emanating from Afghanistan, accusing the Taliban administration of allowing militant groups to operate from Afghan soil and saying that more than 4,700 Pakistanis have been killed in terrorist attacks originating from Afghanistan over the past three years.
Pakistan called for immediate, concrete and verifiable action by the Taliban administration against terrorist organizations operating from Afghan soil.
Pakistan’s Special Representative on Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq said this while addressing the Eighth Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan in Moscow on Monday. He presented a detailed assessment of the deteriorating security situation, arguing that Afghanistan has become a major source of cross-border terrorism threatening Pakistan and other countries in the region.
The Pakistani delegation specifically highlighted the activities of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and Al-Qaeda and its affiliated networks, alleging that these groups continue to find operational space on Afghan territory.
Pakistan maintained that the Taliban administration has failed to take effective and verifiable action against militant organizations using Afghan soil to plan, finance and execute attacks against Pakistan, Sadiq added.
The regional countries gathered in Moscow amid heightened geopolitical tensions, instability in West Asia and volatility in international energy markets.
Pakistan’s Envoy warned that Afghanistan’s unresolved security crisis carries consequences far beyond its borders, including cross-border terrorism, narcotics trafficking, illegal migration and human smuggling.
The Pakistani delegation said that Islamabad had extended substantial diplomatic and humanitarian support to Afghanistan since the August 2021 change of power, including humanitarian assistance, visas for vulnerable Afghans, trade and transit facilitation and support for regional connectivity initiatives.
However, Sadiq expressed disappointment that its diplomatic goodwill and engagement had not produced the expected improvement in the security situation. Instead, it said, cross-border terrorist attacks had continued to increase despite commitments made by the Afghan authorities.
He also linked Afghanistan’s security crisis with its wider political and humanitarian challenges, noting the absence of broad-based and inclusive governance and continued restrictions on women’s rights and girls’ access to education.
The statement further highlighted severe food insecurity, water scarcity and recurring climate-related disasters facing the Afghan population, warning that these problems could further undermine regional stability if left unresolved.
On terrorism, Pakistan maintained that the situation had reached a point where it could no longer rely solely on diplomatic assurances. Islamabad reaffirmed its right to self-defence under international law and said its counter-terrorism measures were intelligence-led, defensive and precise operations of last resort against militant bases posing a direct threat to Pakistan.
Pakistan stressed that its response represented strategic restraint in view of the scale of the threat and the human cost already suffered by the country.
The Pakistani delegation said more than 4,700 Pakistanis had lost their lives in terrorist attacks originating from Afghan territory during the past three years, in addition to thousands of civilian and security personnel casualties.
Islamabad also urged all participating countries in the Moscow Format to adopt a unified regional position and press the Afghan authorities to fulfill their international obligations, prevent their territory from being used for terrorism and take effective measures to ensure that Afghanistan does not remain a source of instability for its neighbours.
Pakistan reiterated that its objective was not confrontation with Afghanistan but a peaceful, stable and secure neighbour, emphasizing that lasting peace in Afghanistan was essential not only for the Afghan people but for the security and prosperity of the entire region.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026