Pakistan has called for global action to stop the illicit flows of weapons to terrorist groups in Afghanistan, such as the UN-sanctioned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade, and ensure that the Taliban adhere to their international obligations and commitments in that regard.
“Weapons confiscated at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border are traced back to stockpiles of weapons left behind by foreign forces in Afghanistan and illegal weapons being sold across black markets in Afghanistan,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council on Monday.
Speaking in a debate on ‘Small Arms and Light Weapons’, convened by Sierra Leone, the rotating president of the 15-member Council for November, he said Pakistan was seriously concerned about the presence of stockpiles of sophisticated arms and ammunition in Afghanistan that pose a direct threat to neighbouring countries.
“The movement of unmarked or unregistered weapons across the international border sustain and aid non-state armed groups, terrorist networks, and criminal gangs, undermining regional security and stability,” the Pakistani envoy said, voicing deep concern over the acquisition and use of these mostly abandoned, modern and potent weapons by terrorist groups based in Afghanistan that continue to pose serious challenge to peace and security in Pakistan and the broader region.
“Terrorist entities including ISIL-K, TTP Fitna Al Khawarij – a UN listed terrorist organization – and the BLA and Majeed Brigade, which operate with impunity from Afghanistan, enabled by external financing and support of principal destabilizing actor in the region, have used these weapons against Pakistani civilians and law enforcement agencies – leading to the loss of thousands of innocent lives,” Ambassador Asim Ahmad told the Security Council.
“The international community needs to step up its efforts and plug gaps in its response to effectively address these threats to international and regional peace and security.”
The Pakistani envoy said that the illicit transfer and unchecked use of small arms and light weapons have a direct impact on intensifying and prolonging conflicts, endangering socio-economic progress, and undermining the prospects of peace and security, particularly at the regional and sub-regional levels.
Pointing out that small arms and light weapons are neither small nor light, he said these arms impede development prospects, contribute to human rights abuses and imperil peace, security and stability.
“While new technologies have introduced new challenges in manufacturing and proliferation of illicit arms manufacturing, new avenues of effective control and international cooperation have also opened up, which need to be fully utilised,” said Ambassador Asim Ahmad, who also expressed concern over the emergence of 3D-printed weapons and the online circulation of digital blueprints for weapons manufacturing.
Earlier, senior United Nations and civil society leaders urged more robust action to stem the bloody and destabilising flow of small arms and light weapons, as they briefed the Security Council.
“More than 1 billion firearms are in circulation globally,” said Deputy High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Adedeji Ebo. “Their continued proliferation is both a symptom and a driver of the multiple security crises that our world is facing.”
Presenting the Secretary-General’s latest biennial report and citing several important developments at the international and regional levels, Ebo said major challenges nevertheless remain.
In particular, he said, the illicit trade in and misuse of small arms and light weapons fuels violence, terrorism and organised crime — as seen in persistent arms embargo violations in Libya, Yemen, Haiti and elsewhere. Weapons diverted from national stockpiles, or at any point throughout the supply chain, could end up in the hands of non-state groups. Illicitly manufactured and craft-produced arms, such as 3D-printed weapons, are now also available on many black markets.
Noting that the purchase of illicit weapons by ordinary people is often a symptom of poor governance, Ebo said weak public safety mechanisms and limited State capacity often prompt communities to arm themselves for protection or self-defence. However, “they too often become instruments of human suffering when used without effective control”. In 2024 alone, there were at least 48,000 conflict-related civilian deaths committed by small arms, representing a 40 per cent increase from 2023.
