ISLAMABAD: The United Nations described the proscribed militant network Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as the “largest terrorist group” in Afghanistan this week, confirming Pakistani officials’ assertions the current Afghan administration is harboring the group and facilitating its cross-border attacks.

In November of last year, Pakistan issued a strongly worded statement against the Kabul administration, reporting a 60 percent increase in militant violence and a 500 percent surge in suicide bombings since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

Former caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar said there was evidence the Afghan Taliban were “facilitating” such attacks, despite repeated requests from Pakistani authorities to prevent their soil from being used against any state. He noted that 15 Afghan nationals were involved in suicide attacks in Pakistan while 64 had died in clashes with Pakistani law enforcement.

Pakistan also launched a deportation drive against “illegal immigrants,” primarily Afghans, citing security concerns.

“Notwithstanding continuing assertions by the Taliban that there are no foreign terrorist groups in Afghanistan other than ISIL-K [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Khorasan chapter], Member States reported that over two dozen groups still operate in the country, enjoying freedom of maneuver under the de facto authorities with oversight from the General Directorate of Intelligence,” said the report by the UN Sanctions Monitoring Team released on Wednesday.

“TTP remained the largest terrorist group in Afghanistan, with an estimated strength of 6,000–6,500 fighters,” it continued. “One Member State expressed concern that greater collaboration between TTP and Al-Qaida could transform TTP into an ‘extraregional threat.’“

It said that Al Qaeda’s training had resulted in TTP shifting tactics and highprofile attacks against hard targets.

The report highlighted weapon transfers to TTP as well as the release of Daesh prisoners from local jails after securing their consent to join the banned Pakistani militant network.

“One Member State detailed how the Taliban exerts pressure on TTP through funding, reportedly providing 3.5 million afghanis ($50,500) on a monthly basis to TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud ... while also directing him to garner additional sources of revenue from donors,” it added.

The UN document said the Afghan Taliban remained concerned that excessive pressure might push TTP towards collaboration with Daesh.

It acknowledged that TTP had intensified attacks against Pakistan, “significantly increasing from 573 in 2021 to 715 in 2022 and 1,210 in 2023, with the trend continuing into 2024.”

The report also noted that advanced military equipment, especially night vision devices transferred to TTP after the Taliban takeover, had added lethality to the groups attacks against Pakistan’s military border posts.

“Despite current stability, Afghanistan will remain a source of insecurity for Central Asia and the region in most scenarios,” it added, questioning the ability of the Taliban administration to with complex governance challenges in Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday demanded Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and his top team to resign, following a Supreme Court decision criticizing them for misconstruing one of its verdicts and forcing candidates of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to contest the Feb. 8 polls independently.
The apex court upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to strip the PTI of its electoral symbol, the cricket bat, for holding intra-party elections that were deemed to be flawed and not in keeping with its constitution.
Subsequently, the ECP rejected the nomination papers of PTI candidates, who were listed as independents with individual electoral symbols.
The court decision that came just weeks before the general elections significantly impacted PTI’s ability to present a united front and contest the national polls with full preparation.
“I have repeatedly raised concerns about the prejudice exhibited by the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan against me and PTI,” Khan said in a social media post. “Today’s Supreme Court decision – establishing the ECP’s bias and malafide against PTI – reinforces our stance.”
“We demand criminal proceedings under Article 6 of the Constitution [that deals with treason] against all those responsible for disenfranchising millions of voters and supporters of Pakistan’s largest political party,” he continued. “Sikandar Sultan Raja and the ECP members must resign immediately!”

The former PM, who remains incarcerated on a number of charges since his arrest last August, reiterated that he wanted Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa to distance himself from all the cases involving him or his party.
The Supreme Court delivered a landmark 8-5 verdict, saying the PTI party was eligible for these seats in parliament.
The short order made it clear the denial of the election symbol did not affect in any way PTI’s right to be a political party or participate in elections.
Reading portion of a minority verdict, Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa noted the ECP had ‘misinterpreted’ the court’s earlier verdict related to PTI’s election emblem.
“The ECP by misinterpreting the judgment of this Court dated 13 January 2024, which was regarding non-holding [of] intra-party elections in PTI, wrongly mentioned the said candidates of the PTI as independents in Form 33 of the Election Rules,” he said. “The ECP had no authority to declare validly nominated candidates of a political party to be independent candidates.”
The PTI is currently entitled to around 23 reserved seats in the National Assembly, which does not affect the parliamentary majority of the Sharif-led coalition administration.
Political parties are allocated a total number of 70 reserved seats, including 60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims, in proportion to the number of seats won in general elections. This completes the National Assembly’s total 336 seats.
A simple majority in Pakistan’s parliament is 169 out of 336 seats.