New York, August 21, 2025: Pakistan has denounced what it called the “dangerous stigmatisation of Islam” at the UN Security Council (UNSC), noting that all individuals on the Council’s terrorism sanctions lists are Muslim, while extremist actors from other faiths remain absent.
“It is unacceptable that every name on the Security Council’s terrorism lists is Muslim, while violent extremists elsewhere escape scrutiny,” Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar told the UNSC during a debate on global terrorism. He urged reforms in the sanctions regimes to address new and emerging threats, stressing the need to end Islamophobic double standards.
Citing the rise of right-wing extremist and fascist movements in several countries, Iftikhar said such violence was rarely branded terrorism when committed by non-Muslims. “This approach contradicts the UN’s own position that terrorism is a global phenomenon and cannot be linked to any religion, nationality or civilisation,” he added.
The envoy also drew attention to Pakistan’s regional security concerns, accusing India of sponsoring terrorist proxies and warning that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), operating from Afghanistan with nearly 6,000 fighters, posed a grave and immediate threat. He alleged coordination between the TTP, BLA, and Majeed Brigade, including shared training camps used to strike Pakistan’s infrastructure, economy, and civilians.
Reaffirming Islamabad’s stance, Iftikhar said: “Pakistan has sacrificed more than most nations — with 80,000 lives lost and hundreds of billions in economic damage. Our commitment to eliminate terrorism is unmatched.
