India has criticised Pakistan for leading key UN Security Council committees linked to Taliban sanctions and global counter-terror efforts. India’s Permanent Representative, P. Harish, told the Council that members with clear “vested interests” should not head such sensitive panels. He stressed that conflicts of interest weaken the Council’s credibility.
Harish did not directly name Pakistan, but his remarks clearly pointed to Islamabad’s role in chairing the Taliban sanctions committee and co-chairing the counter-terrorism panel. He reminded the Council that the Taliban sanctions committee controls travel bans, including recent delays in approving a waiver for Afghanistan’s foreign minister to visit India.
India argued that Pakistan’s tensions with Taliban-led Afghanistan make its leadership inappropriate. Harish noted that Pakistan shelters several sanctioned terrorist groups while co-chairing a global counter-terror body.
He called for transparent, objective and time-bound selection of committee chairs and pen-holders. Harish also demanded more openness in decisions on sanction requests, criticising the secretive process that often blocks proposals targeting terrorists. He highlighted China’s repeated blocking of sanctions on Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad leaders.
Harish also urged the Council to close outdated missions like the UN Military Observer Group in Kashmir, saying such operations drain UN resources and serve narrow political interests.
