Ghani urges visiting UNSC team to pile pressure on Pakistan

KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has called on a visiting delegation from the United Nations Security Council to put further pressure on neighboring Pakistan. Ghani’s adminstration and a number of US officials have accused Pakistan of harboring and arming militants conducting raids on Afghan soil.
The UN said council members had voiced concern over the security situation in Afghanistan, where Al-Qaeda, Daesh and other militant groups all have a presence.
The Security Council team’s visit is the first to Afghanistan since 2010 and comes amid an escalation of attacks by Taliban guerrillas and Daesh sympathizers, and increasing political tension in Ghani’s government, which has cast doubt on the durability of his administration and the future of the country.
Kabul has long requested such a visit in order to hand over to the delegation what it claims to be evidence of Pakistan’s backing of militant groups since the US-led coalition removed the Taliban from power over 16 years ago.
In a statement on Monday, the Afghan presidential palace said Ghani had passed on “examples of the activities of terroristic groups, including Daesh, and evidence of their training and funding outside Afghanistan.” However, Ghani did not name any specific country.
“For the stabilization of Afghanistan, further pressure needs to be added on Pakistan, and at the same time measures must be taken for common dialogue (between Kabul and Islamabad),” Ghani told the delegation.
The president also emphasized the need for intra-Afghan dialogue and peace talks with Pakistan in order to restore security to Afghanistan.
Ghani also hailed the strategy of US President Donald Trump which pushes for increased strikes against militant groups. The US recently called Pakistan a “dishonest” ally and warned it could halt funding for Islamabad, even hinting at possible military strikes against militants in Pakistan.
Pakistan, however, has rejected all allegations of backing and harboring Afghan militants, and last week issued a deadline of January 31 for the nearly 1.3 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan to leave.
Nikki Haley, America’s permanent envoy at the UN, told the delegation and the Afghan leaders also present that Afghanistan’s stability and security was of vital importance for the region and the world.
She also demanded reforms and real development in Afghanistan, according to the palace statement.
The UN added that its delegation also spoke with lawmakers and politicians in Afghanistan.
“All parties underlined the importance of an inclusive Afghan-led and -owned peace process for long-term stability and prosperity in Afghanistan and Council members renewed their commitment to support efforts that aim at bringing peace and reconciliation,” the UN said.
“Council members reiterated their support for the Government’s reform initiatives, in particular to counter corruption and accelerate regional cooperation. They expressed concerns about the security environment in Afghanistan, including the presence of Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and “ISIL-Khorasan” Province-affiliated fighters, as well as about the nexus of terrorism and organized crime. All parties reiterated the need for greater international and regional security cooperation.”