Islamabad Seeks OIC Backing After Cross-Border Airstrikes
Pakistan used an Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting on Afghanistan in New York to demand “concrete and verifiable” action preventing Afghan territory from being used for attacks on neighboring states.
The intervention followed Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan that Islamabad said killed 28 militants. Afghan authorities and the United Nations reported three civilian deaths.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in New York for the General Assembly, while Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar presented Pakistan’s security case to the OIC contact group.
Pakistan says the Taliban government shelters or tolerates Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan networks. Kabul rejects the accusation and describes Pakistani strikes as violations of sovereignty. Independent access to alleged militant sites is limited.
WARYATV Assessment
Islamabad is seeking diplomatic legitimacy for a doctrine already visible in practice: cross-border force when it judges Kabul unable or unwilling to suppress threats. Taking that argument to the OIC suggests Pakistan wants regional pressure on the Taliban—and political cover if strikes continue.
The risk is normalization. Repeated air operations lower the threshold for Afghan retaliation, border closures and support to proxy actors. Diplomatic backing for counterterrorism does not automatically legitimize disputed target selection or civilian harm.
Casualty figures and target identities remain disputed. No independent mechanism has verified Pakistan’s claims about the struck locations.
