Pakistan urged Afghan Taliban authorities to "take decisive action" against terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory, questioning the Taliban's "complicity and support" for groups including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and reaffirming its right to self-defence. The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations, in a press release, noted that Counsellor Muhammad Jawad Ajmal, addressing the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, underscored that "terrorism remained at the heart of Afghanistan's challenges." He expressed concern over the presence and activities of terrorist groups including the TTP, the Balochistan Liberation Army, Majeed Brigade, the ISIL-K, and the ETIM, along with their affiliates operating from Afghan territory. Highlighting the nexus between the Afghan Taliban regime and these groups, Ajmal noted "the role of external actors supporting proxy elements targeting Pakistan and other neighbouring countries." #PakistanAtUNGA Pakistan Urges Taliban to Honour International Obligations, End Repression of Women and Girls, and Curb Terrorism from Afghan Soil - Our Press Release pic.twitter.com/UnfyL2OAIC — Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN (@PakistanUN_NY) October 30, 2026 The Taliban's continued failure to publicly denounce these groups raised serious concern about their complicity and support, he said. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have strained due to recurring cross-border terrorism and security concerns. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban administration to prevent terrorist organisations, particularly the TTP, from using its territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan. The release noted that Ajmal highlighted the civilian cost of the complicity, saying that more than 4,700 innocent Pakistanis had lost their lives over the past three years alone in terrorist attacks emanating from Afghan territory. Read: Pakistan Army destroys Afghan Taliban posts, military positions along border: state media Referring to Pakistan's actions on March 16, the counsellor stated that Islamabad had "precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure including drone and ammunition storage facilities used by the TTP to target innocent Pakistani civilians." Ajmal stressed that Pakistan "could not remain passive in the face of continued terrorist attacks against its people and national security," stating that it would "exercise its right to self-defence, whenever necessary and in accordance with international law, against any threat to its citizens and national security." He called on the Afghan Taliban authorities to "honour their international commitments and obligations," reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan that "lives in harmoney with itself and its neighbours." Meanwhile he also "observed the denial of fundamental freedoms and basic dignity to women and girls," calling on the Afghan Taliban authorities to end their restrictions on women and girls. Read More: Taliban have barred 2.4 million Afghan girls from school since 2021, UNESCO says This, the release said, was "reflected in the Taliban's continued retreat from their international commitments." Ajmal also stressed that "such discriminatory and abusive practices" remained inconsistent with Islamic laws, traditions and the fundamental tenets of the Muslim faith. In this regard, the counsellor recalled that Pakistan had hosted the 9th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ministerial Conference on Women in Islamabad in July this year, undertaking the adoption of the Islamabad Declaration "expressing concern over the Taliban's continued restrictions on women and girls as being contrary to Islamic values." Further, Ajmal noted Pakistan's "longstanding humanitarian contribution," highlighting that it had hosted millions of Afghan refugees over several decades, "often in the absence of adequate international support." The counsellor argued that while Pakistan "continued to facilitate vulnerable Afghans within its available capacity," the international community had to step up and share the resposibility of addressing the refugee situation.