NEW YORK – In an interview to PTI, Afghanistan permanent representative toUN, Saikal said he has stressed the need for action against “the country”,as mandated by the UNSC resolutions. He said there is unanimity more thanever and clarity among UNSC members about the presence of terrorist safehavens in Pakistan, days after an ambassadorial-level of delegation of the15-member powerful body returned from a trip to Kabul.

“I have not heard any member of the council denying the existence of these(terror) safe havens in Pakistan. I have not heard any member of thecouncil stand up and say, ‘no this is not true’,” Saikal told PTI.

“But we need to go beyond that,” he said, adding, “we need to get thecouncil consensus that ‘yes, they are there’. Once there is consensus thatthey (terrorists) are there (in Pakistan), then the (security) council isobliged to take action.” Noting that the issue has come to the attention ofthe UNSC more than ever, the ambassador said some of the council memberswere now openly talking about it.

He said Pakistan has been “unsuccessfully trying to change the narrative”in the past couple of years, but there are no takers for arguments comingfrom Pakistan’s diplomats, either at the UN or other international forums.

“Majority of the member states know about the safe havens. They know thatthe leading figures of terrorist groups have lived in Pakistan. They havebeen found dead in Pakistan. They have been killed and buried in Pakistan,”he said.

He said the attempt to change the narrative, on the part of Pakistan, doesnot help, and added that it was time for everyone to accept that “there issomething wrong”, which is hurting Pakistan itself as well as the region.

“It is the job of all of us to work together to address it. Our intentionis to see Pakistan as a trusted partner in countering terrorism, as a goodneighbour who believe in coexistence with us, and could feel responsibleabout the security of Pakistan itself, but also the security and safety ofthe neighbours of Pakistan and of the region and of the world at large,”Saikal said.

To a question, the Afghan envoy expressed frustration that nothing hasworked so far with Pakistan. Kabul has used bilateral, trilateral andmultilateral platforms to have a breakthrough, he said.

“Unfortunately, so far we haven’t seen much. So, we will keep our eyes openfor any gesture or for any initiative from Islamabad when it comes to aparadigm shift in the part of giving up the policy of using violence inpursuit of political objectives and trying to coexist with its neighboursin peace,” he said.

“Any opportunity that could be there, we would not be shy to explore it anduse it and to have a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan. But at the sametime if nothing works, then we have no other option but to come to theSecurity Council because we are paying a heavy price almost every day inAfghanistan,” he said.

Saikal said Afghanistan has every right to defend its people, raise itsvoice at international platforms and seek support from relevantinternational bodies when it comes to improving the security and stabilityin the country.

“At this stage there is enough evidence before the council on the safehavens and also on violations across the Durand Line in the past fewyears,” he said.