UN Experts Call for Immediate Ceasefire Between Taliban and Pakistan
UN experts have urged the Taliban administration and the Pakistani government to immediately commit to a lasting ceasefire, resolve the roots of tensions through peaceful means, and ensure accountability for violations of international laws. They emphasized that ongoing conflicts threaten the lives of civilians and pose a serious risk to regional stability.
The experts’ statement noted that since the outbreak of fighting on February 26, 289 people have been killed or injured in Afghanistan. According to them, healthcare centers, residential homes, markets, and displaced persons’ shelters have been damaged, schools and border crossings closed, and commercial activities halted; a situation disrupting the lives of thousands living in border areas.
The UN experts also condemned Pakistan’s attack on a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul and expressed condolences to the victims’ families. At the same time, they voiced concern over civilian casualties resulting from Taliban attacks on Pakistani territory, displacement of people, and school closures in Pakistan.
They called on both sides to respect international law and international humanitarian law, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and conduct prompt, independent, and transparent investigations into all alleged human rights violations. They stressed that perpetrators must be held accountable and that reparations should be made available to victims.
The statement referred to Pakistan’s claims that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operates from Afghan soil, emphasizing that all authorities, including the Taliban administration, are obliged to prevent the activities of armed groups that threaten human lives beyond borders. Under international law, no country should allow its territory to be used for terrorist activities against another nation.
The UN experts described Pakistan’s attack on Afghanistan as a violation of the prohibition on the use of force under Article 2 of the UN Charter and customary international law. They clarified that the right to self-defense is only justifiable if an attack has been carried out by the Taliban administration or if the administration has directed the TTP to carry out such an attack.
According to the experts, Pakistan has so far not provided reliable evidence showing that TTP attacks were under the Taliban authorities’ direction or control. They also noted that the International Court of Justice has previously rejected the argument that the mere presence of an armed group in a country gives another country the right to self-defense, and that Pakistan has not reported its claimed right of self-defense to the UN Security Council.
The statement continued that the unlawful use of force may constitute a violation of the right to life of those killed in these attacks, and some attacks causing civilian casualties could amount to breaches of international humanitarian law. The UN experts underscored that countries have an obligation to protect their people from terrorist threats, but this must be done entirely within the framework of international law.
They added that disputes threatening international security should be resolved through peaceful means, and that proportionate use of force within any country’s territory and diplomatic measures can serve as alternatives to escalating cross-border conflicts.
