(Web Desk) - Pakistan has raised concerns over the continued presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, warning that the Taliban regime is allowing them to operate from its territory.
Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council’s interactive dialogue on Afghanistan on Thursday, Pakistan’s representative Muhammad Jawad Ajmal said more than 4,700 Pakistanis had lost their lives in terrorist attacks originating from Afghanistan over the past three years.
Separately, UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett told the General Assembly that five years after taking power, the Taliban had shown no commitment to ending systematic human rights violations. Instead, he said, restrictions on fundamental freedoms, particularly those affecting women and girls, had continued to intensify.
Ajmal said the worsening human rights situation reflected the Taliban’s disregard for their international obligations. He highlighted restrictions on women and girls, saying they were being deprived of basic freedoms and dignity in ways that contradicted Islamic principles and values.
He also referred to the ninth Ministerial Conference on Women, hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad in July, where the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation adopted the Islamabad Declaration. The declaration expressed concern over Taliban restrictions on women and girls, describing them as inconsistent with Islamic values.
Bennett called on UN member states not to normalise relations with the Taliban until the regime reverses its restrictive policies.
He said recent Taliban decrees had further weakened women's rights, facilitated violence against them and severely limited their ability to leave abusive relationships. He also raised concerns over the regime's acceptance of child marriages.
Pakistan's intervention also highlighted security concerns linked to Afghanistan. Ajmal accused the Taliban of maintaining close ties with terrorist organisations, adding that these groups were operating freely on Afghan soil with the backing of external actors seeking to target Pakistan and other neighbouring countries.
He said the Taliban's failure to openly condemn these groups reflected their complicity and support for their activities.
Meanwhile, Bennett's report documented serious human rights violations in Afghanistan, including arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, sexual violence, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
The report also raised concerns over curbs on freedom of expression, the exclusion of persons with disabilities, and discrimination and persecution targeting ethnic, religious, linguistic and other marginalised communities.