Why the Global Community Must Hold Pakistan Accountable

How many attacks will it take before the world calls Pakistan what it truly is — a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’? Why is a nation that celebrates terrorists as martyrs still allowed to speak at international forums with impunity? Can global peace ever be achieved while terror regimes remain protected by diplomatic loopholes?

India’s recent Operation Sindoor, which successfully struck nine terror launchpads across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and adjoining Pakistani territory, was a legitimate act of self-defense targeting terror infrastructure. But what followed exposed the hypocrisy of Pakistan’s double-speak. A nation that constantly claims to be a "victim of terrorism" reacted not with relief — but with rage.

Instead of cooperating in dismantling terror hideouts, Pakistan retaliated militarily, targeting Indian military bases and civilian areas. This response demolishes any lingering illusion: Pakistan is not a victim of terrorism. It is an enabler, incubator, and exporter of terrorism.

The State Funeral of Terrorism

Pakistan’s deep state — comprising its army, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and political leadership — has long provided safe havens, arms, and legitimacy to globally proscribed terrorists. But what’s more damning is the open participation of government officials and military officers in the funerals of terrorists, where coffins are wrapped in the national flag, and martyrdom is glorified.

Would a state that genuinely opposes terrorism honor individuals killed at terror camps? Would it retaliate when those terror launchpads are destroyed? Pakistan’s behavior answers these questions beyond doubt.

The Global Nexus: Enablers of a Rogue Regime

The complicity doesn’t stop at Pakistan’s borders. Countries such as China and Turkey, which continue to shield Pakistan diplomatically and arm it militarily, are complicit in perpetuating global insecurity. When China blocks UN resolutions to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorists, it weakens global counterterrorism frameworks. When Turkey justifies jihadist rhetoric under the pretense of religious solidarity, it fuels ideological extremism.

What the Global Community Must Do

If the international order truly values peace, then words must translate into action. It is time to go beyond condemnation and take decisive steps:

• Designate Pakistan as a State Sponsor of Terrorism:
  The United Nations, under Security Council Resolution 1373, has the mandate to act against states that finance or harbor terrorism. It must formally investigate Pakistan’s state complicity.
   
• Impose Comprehensive Sanctions:
  Financial sanctions, arms embargoes, and diplomatic restrictions must be enforced by the UN and FATF on Pakistan and any country that supplies it militarily or financially.
   
• Blacklist Enabler States:
  Nations aiding Pakistan’s terror infrastructure — be it with weapons, intelligence, or financial channels — must face secondary sanctions and be named as “terrorism sponsors” themselves.
   
• End Humanitarian Leniency in Conflict Zones:
  Humanitarian aid must be conditional, and subject to third-party audits. Aid must not become a cover for financing parallel state-terror operations.
   
• Reform the UN Voting Process:
  A single nation should not be able to veto anti-terror resolutions when overwhelming evidence supports action. Reforming veto power on terrorism-related motions is crucial.
   
• Global Civil Society Engagement:
  Encourage academic institutions, media, and think tanks worldwide to document and disseminate evidence of Pakistan’s terror nexus to inform public discourse and policy.

Final Reflections: Can the World Afford to Look Away Any Longer?

If a nation provides sanctuary to those who bomb schools, mutilate civilians, and destabilize sovereign democracies, what more must it do before being held accountable? If international law cannot act against such serial offenders, does it still serve justice or merely shelter convenience?

How long will the global community tolerate a double game of diplomacy by regimes that preach peace and practice terror? How many more lives must be lost before the mask is stripped off, and the world speaks the truth?

The time has come — not for cautious diplomacy but for principled leadership. To protect peace, the world must isolate the perpetrators of war.