A Pakistani diplomat has claimed that militant groups operating in the region are in possession of billions of dollars’ worth of illicit weapons left behind in Afghanistan, warning that the arms are being used in attacks against civilians and the country’s security forces.
Syed Atif Raza, a counsellor at Pakistan’s mission to the United Nations, made the remarks during a debate on “Small Arms and Light Weapons Management in U.N. Sanctions Regimes,” according to a report by Dawn, a Pakistani newspaper.
“These terrorist armed groups, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), are using the abandoned weaponry in violence against civilians and the armed forces of Pakistan,” Raza said. “These entities also receive external support and financing from our principal adversary,” he added, without naming a specific country.
Raza called on the international community to take action to retrieve the weapons and prevent their further proliferation.
“We urge our international partners to recover the vast stockpiles of abandoned weapons, prevent their access to armed terrorist groups, and take measures to dismantle the thriving black market in illicit arms,” he said.
He also warned that the increasing sophistication of illegal arms, including access to modernized weapons, poses a growing threat. Many of the groups involved operate across national borders, complicating enforcement efforts.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of harboring and supporting groups such as the TTP and BLA—claims that Taliban officials have denied.
