Pakistan Pushes for UN Terror Sanctions After Balochistan Attacks

News Desk 

Islamabad: Pakistan has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to impose sanctions on the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) following a series of deadly attacks in Balochistan, citing the group’s role in recent violence that killed dozens of civilians and security personnel.

Speaking at a UNSC briefing titled “Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts,” Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, urged the Council to designate the BLA under the UN’s 1267 sanctions regime.

“We hope the Council will act swiftly to designate BLA under the 1267 sanctions regime, acceding to the listing request that is currently under consideration,” Iftikhar said, according to Pakistan’s mission to the United Nations.

The 1267 sanctions framework targets terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh, requiring UN member states to implement measures including asset freezes, travel bans and arms embargoes against listed individuals and entities, according to the United Nations.

Pakistan’s appeal follows coordinated attacks across several districts of Balochistan on January 31, including Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Gwadar, Pasni and Tump. Pakistani authorities say the assaults resulted in the deaths of at least 22 security personnel and 36 civilians.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/balochistan-attacks-expose-indias-state-sponsored-terrorism/

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said nearly 200 militants were involved in the attacks, adding that security forces have since killed or driven out most of them in an extensive counterterrorism operation. Officials say at least 197 militants have been killed in the subsequent crackdown.

The attacks have been widely condemned by the international community. Countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, France, Canada and the European Union issued statements denouncing the violence, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Office.

In a statement released a day earlier, the UNSC condemned what it described as “heinous and cowardly” terrorist attacks and stressed the need to hold perpetrators accountable. The Council urged all states to cooperate with Pakistan in combating terrorism, in line with international law.

Addressing broader regional security concerns, Ambassador Iftikhar highlighted Pakistan’s role in global counterterrorism efforts, noting that the country has suffered more than 90,000 casualties and sustained significant economic losses over the past two decades, according to official Pakistani figures.

He said that since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, several militant groups — including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the BLA — have increased their activities, operating from Afghan territory with what he described as “virtual impunity.”

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/deadly-attacks-in-balochistan-trigger-pakistan-wide-response/

Referring to reports by the UN Monitoring Team, Iftikhar said Afghanistan’s de facto authorities provide a permissive environment for terrorist organisations, including TTP, while Al-Qaeda continues to maintain a presence in the country and Daesh-Khorasan remains operational with an external focus.

“These terrorist groups pose a threat not only to Pakistan, but to the entire region and beyond,” he warned, citing recent militant activity near Afghanistan’s borders with Central Asia.

The ambassador also called for preventing advanced weapons left behind after the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan from falling into the hands of militant groups, and urged reforms to the UN’s counterterrorism architecture to address emerging threats more comprehensively.

He argued that counterterrorism efforts should not focus disproportionately on one religious group and should also encompass threats posed by white supremacist, far-right, xenophobic and extremist nationalist movements.

“Terrorism can be defeated only through unity and cooperation, without any double standards or discrimination,” Iftikhar said.

The ambassador further criticised what he described as “state terrorism” in Indian-administered Kashmir, arguing that occupation and repression should not be framed as counterterrorism, and reiterated Pakistan’s support for what it called the right to self-determination under UN resolutions.