Pakistan Urges UN to Prevent Flow of Illicit Arms to Afghan-Based Terrorists

Pakistan has urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to take decisive action to stop the flow of illegal arms to terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan, including the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and Majeed Brigade.

During the UNSC Arria-Formula meeting on “Small Arms and Light Weapons Management in UN Sanctions Regimes,” Syed Atif Raza, Counsellor at Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN, highlighted the serious threat posed by advanced weapons left behind in Afghanistan. He warned that these arms are being used to conduct violent attacks against civilians and security forces in Pakistan.

“These terrorist organizations are equipped with billions of dollars’ worth of advanced weapons, abandoned during past conflicts in Afghanistan, and now pose a direct threat to Pakistan’s national security,” said Raza.

His remarks followed the release of a report by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, which revealed widespread trafficking of both Soviet-era and NATO-grade arms within Afghanistan. Despite Taliban efforts to regulate the weapons market, arms continue to reach extremist groups, fueling instability in the region.

The report, titled Documenting Arms Availability in Afghanistan, found that non-state actors such as TTP and al-Qaeda still have access to advanced weaponry, exacerbating security concerns along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Raza noted that Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in terrorist activities, particularly since the Taliban assumed control of Kabul in 2021. The TTP, in particular, has intensified cross-border attacks, accounting for over half of all terrorism-related deaths in Pakistan during 2024, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2025.

Raza stressed that small arms and light weapons are increasingly used by both state and non-state actors to destabilize nations. “These weapons are not just tools of violence — they are enablers of terror, organized crime, and illegal armed movements,” he concluded.