Pakistan has called on the United Nations to launch a “concerted campaign” to collect all weapons from terrorist organisations such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Ambassador Munir Akram, speaking at the Fourth Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action (PoA) on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) on Tuesday, expressed Pakistan’s “grave concern over the acquisition and use of modern and sophisticated small arms by terrorist groups in Pakistan.” [the] “TTP”.
be statement In a statement released by Pakistan’s UN mission, Akram stressed the “need for a coordinated operation to recover all weapons from terrorist groups like the TTP” and also called for an investigation into how these groups acquired such sophisticated weapons.
The Pakistani envoy asserted that it is the responsibility of UN member states and the UN to take measures to prevent illicit trade, transfer and diversion of these weapons.
“Terrorists and criminals do not manufacture these weapons. They obtain them from the illegal arms market or from organizations that want to destabilize a particular region or country,” Ambassador Akram stressed.
The Envoy stressed how “illicit proliferation, accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons” exacerbates conflicts, fuels terrorism, threatens peace and security, and undermines global sustainable development.
Akram said the emergence of new technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones “exacerbated the challenge of countering the proliferation of increasingly lethal small arms and light weapons”.
Akram described the UN Plan of Action and the International Tracking Instrument (ITI) as structured frameworks to address the challenges related to illicit trade and smuggling of small arms and light weapons, and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to both instruments.
“We have strengthened the legal framework, tightened transfer controls, and implemented strong measures to prevent the diversion of small arms to unauthorized users,” the envoy asserted.
Akram noted the limitations of supply-side approaches to addressing SALW challenges and called for more proactive efforts and resources to “resolve and end conflicts in different regions and sub-regions, end terrorist activities, and eradicate organized crime.”
The Ambassador commented on the revised draft outcome document on combating the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons (Draft 1), highlighting various points including reaching consensus on the scope of the action plan.
He stressed the need to maintain a balanced approach between legitimate concerns over the illicit proliferation of arms and the legitimate security concerns of all countries.
Pakistan’s UN Ambassador termed the ongoing conference as an important step in reaffirming the shared resolve to address small arms related challenges and ensure safety and security in the world.
Islamabad has long alleged that the banned TTP uses safe havens in Afghanistan to launch deadly cross-border attacks.
In March, Pakistan had urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to urge the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to sever ties with the TTP.
Last month, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan Asif Ali Durrani had said TTP attacks in the country have increased by 60 percent in two years and have risen significantly since the Afghan Taliban took over Kabul in 2021.
Days later, Pakistan and the United States reaffirmed their continued counter-terrorism cooperation to promote regional and global security and stability.
Pakistan has seen an increase in terrorist activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan provinces, since the banned militant group TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.
Pakistan recorded 1,524 violence-related deaths and 1,463 injuries in 789 terror attacks and counter-terrorism operations in 2023, the highest in six years, according to an annual security report published by the Centre for Research and Security Studies.
KP and Balochistan are the main epicenters of violence, accounting for over 90 percent of the total deaths and 84 percent of attacks, including terror incidents and security force operations.
The report, released last month, said that the ministries’ counter-terrorism departments (CTDs) faced problems related to coordination, fundraising and intelligence gathering, and did not have clear information on the movements, connections and operational strategies of militant groups.
