Islamabad – Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, delivered a strong statement during the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on the Secretary-General’s 21st report on threats posed by Daesh to international peace and security, held on 20-21 August 2025 in New York. He began by thanking the UN President, Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) Natalia Gherman, and Financial Action Task Force (FATF) President Elisa de Anda Madrazo for their briefings and remarks.

Highlighting Pakistan’s sacrifices in the global fight against terrorism, he said, “It is not understandable, and is indeed unacceptable, that every name on the Security Council’s terrorism lists is Muslim, while terrorists and violent extremists elsewhere escape scrutiny. There is no non-Muslim in the lists. This must change.”

“Few nations have done more for the success of global counterterrorism efforts. Fewer still have bled more in this fight,” Pakistan’s envoy stressed, recalling that over 80,000 Pakistanis have lost their lives and the country has suffered hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses. Pakistan, he noted, was pivotal in decimating Al-Qaeda and continues to stand firm against Daesh and its regional affiliates, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and Majeed Brigade.

A One-Sided Approach to Global Terrorism

Ambassador Ahmad condemned the selective application of the UN Security Council’s terrorism lists, noting that terrorism cannot be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization, or ethnic group. He emphasized that while Daesh affiliates are increasing their presence in Africa, particularly in West Africa and the Sahel, and nearly 3,000 fighters remain entrenched across Iraq and Syria, these threats often escape global scrutiny. 

“For Pakistan, the danger is grave and immediate,” he said, citing that the TTP, with nearly 6,000 fighters sheltered on Afghan soil, remains the largest UN-designated terrorist group threatening Pakistan’s security. He detailed evidence of collaboration between the TTP, BLA, and Majid Brigade in targeting strategic infrastructure, economic projects, and civilians inside Pakistan.

He stressed that terrorism in and from Afghanistan is “the single most potent threat” to the region and the world, with Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIL-K), TTP, BLA, and Majeed Brigade exploiting ungoverned spaces to regroup and carry out attacks.

He also highlighted the growing danger of digital terrorism, where extremist groups exploit social media, Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), and artificial intelligence for online radicalization, recruitment, and propaganda. Ambassador Ahmad urged stronger international cooperation, including through Interpol, to disrupt these digital networks and “choke the digital arteries” of terrorist organizations.

The envoy also drew attention to state terrorism and oppression, referencing Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, where civilian populations face collective punishment, human rights violations, and fabricated counter-terrorism narratives. “Occupation cannot be dressed up as counter-terrorism,” he stressed.

Pakistan’s Sacrifices and Regional Threats

Ambassador Ahmad recalled that Pakistan has lost over 80,000 lives and suffered hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses while combating terrorism. Pakistan played a central role in dismantling al-Qaeda and continues to fight Daesh and its regional affiliates. He cited tragic incidents such as the Jaffar Express hijacking in March, which claimed 31 lives, and the Khuzdar school bus attack in May, which killed 10, including eight children, emphasizing that these are “stolen futures.” “These are not just numbers. These are stolen futures,” he said.

He condemned state-sponsored terrorism by India, noting extraterritorial assassinations and the 6–7 May strike inside Pakistan that killed 54 civilians, including 15 children and 13 women. “When state terrorism masquerades as counter-terrorism, international peace is the first casualty. This Council should not look away.”

Ambassador Ahmad outlined five priorities for effective counterterrorism:

• Address the root causes of terrorism by prevention, long-term strategies, and addressing grievances that fuel extremism.
  
• End state terrorism and oppression, pointing to the stark examples of Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir and the occupied Palestinian territories, where occupation is being disguised as counterterrorism.
  
• Recognize the difference between terrorism and legitimate struggles for self-determination against foreign occupation.
  
• Revise UN sanctions regimes to reflect new and emerging threats, while rejecting the stigmatization of Islam. “It is unacceptable that every name on the Security Council’s terrorism list is Muslim, while non-Muslim extremists escape scrutiny,” Pakistan underlined.
  
• Strengthen global regulation of digital tools misused by terrorists and ensure cross-border law enforcement cooperation.

He warned that when state terrorism masquerades as counterterrorism, international peace is the first casualty.

In addition, he emphasized that success against terrorism requires unity, cooperation, and adherence to international law, while rejecting double standards and politically motivated agendas. “Effective counterterrorism requires joint action, firmly anchored in consensus-based principles and embedded in international law. We can only succeed by rejecting double standards and politically motivated agendas.”

“Double standards and political agendas are themselves the oxygen for terrorism. We can defeat terrorism  by fighting it together and fighting it justly,” he said.