New York, August 21 (HS):

Pakistan has expressed concern that the United Nations’ designated terrorist list does not include a single non-Muslim name, a matter it raised pointedly at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) session. The meeting, convened on the theme Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts, witnessed Islamabad’s sharp remarks on perceived bias.

According to Pakistan’s GEO News, the country’s UN envoy, Munir Akram’s deputy representative Aamir Khan (or in this case, Asim Iftikhar, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN), highlighted the growing rise of far-right extremism and fascist movements worldwide. He argued that restricting the list exclusively to Muslims unfairly maligns Islam and its followers.

“It is incomprehensible and unacceptable that every individual designated under the UN Security Council’s terror list happens to be a Muslim, while extremist actors of other ideologies continue to evade international scrutiny,” Iftikhar told members, urging the Council to end what he termed the stigmatization of Islam.

He further noted that terrorism cannot and must not be linked to any faith, nationality, ethnicity, or civilization. Instead, he warned, the unchecked spread of far-right and extremist groups in various regions also fuels terrorism and violence.

At the same time, the Pakistani envoy admitted that Afghanistan remains the core breeding ground for a host of terrorist networks that pose direct threats across borders. He drew particular attention to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch separatist outfits, stating that these groups — some 6,000 TTP fighters among them — operate freely from Afghan territory.

“Safe havens across our border directly endanger Pakistan’s security,” Iftikhar stressed, urging the Council to acknowledge the security risks emanating from Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s intervention underlined an old grievance: while militancy linked to Islam faces global sanctions and designations, Islamist leaders in Islamabad argue that right-wing and other violent extremisms are not subjected to the same international censure.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar