Security Council must fix gaps in counterterrorism system, says Pakistan

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, paid tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including seven Pakistanis, and expressed solidarity with the government and people of the United States. He was speaking in the Security Council on “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, 25 years after 9/11: renewing the Security Council’s fight against terrorism”.

Recalling the global response to 9/11, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the Security Council took immediate action after the attacks, including the adoption of Resolution 1373. He said it remains a key part of the UN’s counterterrorism framework.

Highlighting Pakistan’s frontline role in the global war on terror, he said Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts, intelligence cooperation and security coordination with international partners had significantly reduced the capabilities of Al-Qaeda.

He said the most notable successes in the international campaign against Al-Qaeda were achieved through Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts and active cooperation.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad stressed that Pakistan had paid a very heavy price in this war. He said more than 90,000 Pakistanis, including security and law enforcement personnel and civilians, had lost their lives to terrorism since the start of this century. He added that Pakistan had also suffered continuous economic losses.

He said the Security Council had responded 25 years ago with urgency, unity and resolve. But the nature of the terrorist threat has changed since then, he said. The landscape of terrorism has taken a new shape and new threats have emerged.

He said the existing sanctions system needed to be strengthened to close the gaps in the international counterterrorism framework.

He also highlighted the rise of far-right extremism and the continuing threat of terrorism in Africa, the Middle East and Afghanistan. He further pointed to the use of modern technology by terrorists for propaganda, indoctrination, recruitment, communication and financing.

Expressing particular concern over terrorism emerging from Afghanistan, he said more than 4,700 Pakistanis had fallen victim to terrorism over three years.

He also called for effective international action against terrorist groups, including the TTP, the BLA, the ETIM and Daesh.

Asim Iftikhar also warned of the growing use of the dark web, virtual assets and cryptocurrencies to finance terrorists. He said that in the absence of regulation, this threat would certainly multiply.

He stressed the need for a comprehensive approach to counterterrorism. This includes balanced implementation of all four pillars of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and greater focus on the root causes of terrorism and the conditions that allow it to thrive.

He said accountability must also apply in situations of foreign occupation. Occupying powers must be held to account, he said, and must not be allowed to act with impunity against peoples exercising their right to self-determination.

Asim Iftikhar said the international response must stay ahead of the fast-changing threat of terrorism. It must be faster, he said, and ahead of the rapidly emerging threat.

He urged the Security Council to take up its responsibility and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. He also called on it to strengthen international cooperation and regional coordination to build a united and collective front against this global threat.