Why Pakistan Is Taking Afghanistan to the UN, OIC and SCO

Pakistan’s latest Afghanistan strategy contains an important diplomatic shift.Instead of treating cross-border militancy as an indefinitely bilateral dispute between Islamabad and Kabul, Pakistan is placing the problem before three larger institutional audiences: the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.That approach reflects the changing nature of the threat.Pakistan’s special envoy Mohammad Sadiq argues that Afghanistan faces two interconnected challenges: an exclusionary political framework and the continued presence of militant organisations. He says Afghanistan therefore cannot be treated simply as a Pakistan-Afghanistan issue. (Arab News)There is logic to distributing responsibility across different institutions because each can contribute something different.The United Nations brings international legitimacy, monitoring capacity and an established counterterrorism framework.Its importance is particularly clear because UN assessments have independently documented the militant problem that Islamabad has repeatedly raised.A 2026 UN report said no member state endorsed the Taliban authorities’ assertion that terrorist groups were absent from Afghanistan. It described TTP as one of the largest groups operating there and reported greater freedom and support for it. (Digital Library)UN engagement can therefore help move the debate away from competing national narratives toward common evidence.The OIC offers something different.Afghanistan is a Muslim-majority country surrounded by a debate that includes governance, humanitarian needs, religious legitimacy and terrorism. The OIC can engage these issues within an Islamic diplomatic framework rather than allowing the conversation to be portrayed exclusively as Western pressure on Kabul.The organisation has also publicly expressed solidarity with Pakistan against terrorism following recent violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and reaffirmed its rejection of terrorism and extremism in all forms. (OIC OCI)Then comes the SCO.For Pakistan, this may be the most operationally important regional platform.Its membership brings together states with direct security and economic interests in Afghanistan, including Pakistan, China and the Central Asian republics. The SCO also has an existing Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.On September 14, representatives of SCO member states met in Islamabad through RATS and discussed strengthening practical cooperation against terrorism, separatism and extremism. (The Shanghai cooperation organisation)Pakistan also began its 2026-27 chairmanship of the SCO Council of National Coordinators this month, giving Islamabad an institutional opportunity to keep Afghan security and regional connectivity on the agenda. (The Shanghai cooperation organisation)These forums are not substitutes for diplomacy with Kabul.They can make that diplomacy more structured.A multilateral framework can establish common demands. It can create procedures for information sharing. It can make counterterrorism commitments measurable. It can involve Afghanistan’s neighbours in preventing militant mobility. It can also combine security demands with economic incentives for stability.The country sits between major economic regions. A stable Afghanistan could facilitate trade linking Pakistan and its ports with Central Asia and further.Pakistan therefore possesses both a security interest and a commercial interest in Afghan stability.The two are connected.Trucks cannot substitute for security forces, but trade corridors require safe territory. Investment requires predictable borders. Regional integration requires governments capable of enforcing commitments.Pakistan’s multilateral approach consequently represents more than diplomatic burden-sharing.It recognises that Afghanistan’s future affects an entire region and that the region possesses institutions capable of participating in the solution.The principle is simple.Afghanistan’s neighbours share the consequences of instability.They can also share responsibility for preventing it further.

Author

Ayla Reid
Ayla Reid is a writer and political analyst with a focus on conflict, governance, and social transformation. Her work critically engages with power structures, contested narratives, and the lived realities of marginalized communities. With a nuanced and research-driven approach, she explores how local and global forces shape policy, resistance, and identity in volatile regions. Her commentary is known for its clarity, depth, and refusal to conform to dominant frames.
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