Diplomat Raises Alarm at UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting Over Weapons Fueling Regional Instability

Pakistan Calls for Global Action Against Illicit Arms Flow to Terrorist Groups

Key Points:

1. Alarming Weapon Proliferation from Afghanistan
   • Pakistan has warned the UN Security Council that terrorist groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) are using advanced weapons left behind in Afghanistan to launch cross-border attacks.
   • Syed Atif Raza, Pakistan’s UN diplomat, stated that these groups exploit ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan to obtain billions of dollars’ worth of abandoned military-grade arms.
2. External Support for Terrorist Groups
   • While not naming India directly, Raza accused Pakistan’s “principal adversary” of providing financial and logistical support to these militant organizations.
   • He emphasized that non-state actors cannot manufacture advanced weapons, implying state-sponsored facilitation in arming terrorists.
3. Regional Instability & Security Threats
   • The illicit arms trade fuels terrorism, undermines peace efforts, and destabilizes the region, particularly through attacks on Pakistani civilians and security forces.
   • Groups like BLA’s Majeed Brigade (a suicide squad) have intensified assaults using these weapons.
4. Call for International Action
   • Pakistan urged the UN to:
     • Recover abandoned arms stockpiles in Afghanistan.
     • Strengthen sanctions monitoring to prevent black-market arms flows.
     • Hold accountable states enabling terrorist weapon procurement.
5. UN Arria-Formula Meeting Context
   • The discussion, hosted by Sierra Leone, provided an informal platform for UN members to address small arms proliferation linked to global terrorism.

A Growing Security Crisis

Pakistan’s appeal highlights the urgent need for coordinated global efforts to curb the illicit arms trade fueling terrorism in South Asia. Without decisive action, Afghanistan’s abandoned weapons will continue empowering militants, exacerbating regional conflicts. The UN must enhance enforcement mechanisms and pressure state actors suspected of supporting terrorist arsenals to prevent further destabilization.