Asif Durrani, former Special Representative of Pakistan for Afghanistan, has said that despite the withdrawal of the United States and NATO from Afghanistan in 2021, the responsibility of the United Nations and the Security Council to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for terrorist groups has not ended.
On Wednesday, July 1, Durrani wrote on his X account that the withdrawal of foreign forces does not terminate the Security Council’s responsibility, and existing resolutions still obligate the international community to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorist organizations.
“The UN’s 1267 and 1988 Sanctions Committees must provide an objective, evidence-based assessment of the terrorist landscape in Afghanistan. Their reports should neither understate nor politicise the presence and activities of terrorist groups. Regional and international security demand nothing less than an honest appraisal,” he stressed.
Durrani also said that the Taliban must be held accountable for their commitments to prevent harboring terrorist groups and to regulate relations with neighboring countries in accordance with international norms.
He further called on the international community to clearly define its position on the recognition of the Taliban.
He added that if recognition is conditional on political, security, and human rights benchmarks, these conditions must be clearly articulated, as “ambiguity breeds mistrust.”
