Pakistan questions UN experts over TTP presence in Afghanistan, cites multiple reports

Pakistan on Sunday questioned the position of United Nations human rights experts regarding the lack of “credible evidence” linking the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacks to Afghan soil, pointing to multiple UN and international reports that documented the presence and activities of terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan. Last month, the UN experts had urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to commit to a permanent ceasefire and had also claimed that Pakistan had not published credible evidence that TTP attacks within its territory were directed or controlled by the de facto Afghan authorities. The experts had called on the parties to respect international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and civilian objects. They called for prompt, independent and transparent investigations of all alleged violations, accountability for perpetrators, and remedies for victims, in line with international standards. Contrary to their position, Pakistan highlighted a contrast between the UN experts’ statement and established findings from various UN Security Council Monitoring Team reports and assessments consistently documenting TTP presence, safe havens and operational activity from Afghan soil. Read More: 796 Afghan Taliban killed, 286 checkposts destroyed in Operation Ghazab Lil Haq so far: Tarar Pakistan referred to the 35th, 36th, 16th and 37th UN Security Council monitoring team reports. It also cited the SIGAR 66th and 68th reports of January 2025. Additional references include the Russian MFA Military-Political Assessment of February 2026, the CSTO Security Assessment of 2026, the SCO Deliberations of September 2025, and the Quadrilateral Assessment by Russia, China and Iran in September 2025. Pakistan further mentioned statements by the Danish ambassador at the UN Security Council in November 2025, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in 2025, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia in 2025, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in August 2025. The said reports and assessments collectively highlighted Afghanistan as a hub for over 20 international terrorist organisations (ITOs), with 13,000–23,000 foreign terrorists, including more than 6,000 TTP fighters enjoying safe havens and operational freedom. They also note continued Al-Qaeda presence and leadership regrouping, as well as active ISIL-K expansion. The assessments document over 600 TTP attacks in Pakistan launched from Afghan soil, with the Afghan Taliban providing sanctuary, facilitation, and logistical support that enabled cross-border attacks and regional instability. Pakistan questioned what additional evidence the UN human rights experts required, noting that multiple UN and international assessments already confirmed the presence of over 20 terrorist groups, thousands of foreign terrorists, and continued Taliban support to proxies operating from Afghan soil. “Whether these findings are being ignored? Do they expect Pakistan’s leadership to go to Afghanistan and have photographs with TTP leaders like Hafiz Gul Bahadar and Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud?” a security analyst questioned. Read More: Death toll reaches 50 in K-P as rain-related incidents devastate province He also raised concern over the UN experts questioning the credibility of the very UN institutions tasked with monitoring, reporting and upholding international norms, maintaining that these established reports provided clear documentation of the threats originating from Afghan territory. The 37th report by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, dated February 4, said that attacks on Pakistan by the TTP from Afghanistan had increased, endorsing Islamabad’s long-running complaints about militant sanctuaries across the border. The report not only endorsed Islamabad’s stance that Afghanistan had become a sanctuary for militants who used its territory to launch attacks on Pakistan, but also came at a time when the country is facing a renewed spate of violence.