India has raised concerns over Pakistan’s leadership of the United Nations committee on sanctions against the Taliban, describing it as a potential conflict of interest. At a recent Security Council debate on working methods, India’s Permanent Representative P. Harish said members with vested interests should not be allowed to lead key committees or pen-holderships within the Council. Though he did not directly name Pakistan, his remarks were widely interpreted as referring to Islamabad, which now heads the Taliban sanctions committee and co-chairs the counter-terrorism body.

The Taliban sanctions panel, known as the 1988 Committee, holds the authority to impose travel bans and asset freezes on Taliban leaders. India highlighted how Pakistan’s role as chair is problematic, as it has long been accused of harboring terrorist groups, including those sanctioned by the UN itself. The diplomat also questioned the opaque manner in which decisions on sanction listings are made, noting that requests to designate terrorists are often rejected without explanation to non-Council members.

India also referred to the repeated blocking of proposals, particularly by China, to add Pakistan-based terrorists to the UN sanctions list. Harish urged for a more transparent, objective, and time-bound selection process for committee chairs and greater accountability in how sanctions are handled. He further pointed out that outdated UN operations such as the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) should be reconsidered, arguing that continuing obsolete missions wastes resources.

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Concluding his statement, Harish called for the Security Council to review peacekeeping operations periodically and introduce sunset clauses to limit their duration. His remarks reflected India’s broader push for reform within the UN system to ensure fairness, transparency, and effectiveness in combating terrorism while preventing political biases in global decision-making.

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