Pakistan, Russia, China, Iran see Afghanistan-based terror groups as global threats

A ministerial meeting of the Quadrilateral Group — comprising Pakistan, China, Iran, and Russia — has voiced concern over the security challenges posing  from Afghanistan, It said the terrorist groups operating in Kabul pose a serious threat to regional and global security.

Pakistan has seen a spike in militant attacks since the Taliban government returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.  Data from the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) said the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtukhwa saw a rise in deadly attacks last month.

The digital database suggested an alarming situation as the number of attacks risen from 38 in July to 59 in August. These incidents included 29 attacks in KP, 28 in Balochistan, and two in Punjab.

The government has time again called on Afghanistan’s rulers to prevent their land from being used by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other militant outfits for carrying out attacks against Pakistan.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also attended the session on behalf of Pakistan while Russia, China, and Iran were represented by their respective foreign ministers.

The ministers, during the meeting, said that terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida, the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Daesh, Jaish ul-Adl, Balochistan Liberation Army, TTP and other groups based in Afghanistan, continue to pose a serious threat to regional and global security.