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India plays down Pakistan's UNSC committee roles, calls them largely ceremonial
The Indian government has downplayed Pakistan's recent appointments as Chair of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 1988 Sanctions Committee and Vice-Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, calling the roles procedural and largely ceremonial in nature.
In a written response in Parliament, the government clarified that as Chair of the UNSC 1988 Sanctions Committee which deals with sanctions against Taliban entities — Pakistan's function is 'primarily to convene and facilitate meetings and coordinate among members to implement the Committee's mandate under Resolution 1988 (2011).' All decisions, it stressed, are taken by consensus, thereby limiting the influence of any single member including Pakistan.
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Regarding the Vice-Chair position in the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee, the government said Pakistan's role is 'largely ceremonial,' restricted to logistical and procedural support to the Chair to ensure the smooth functioning of the committee. 'No individual member can unilaterally influence the agenda or contents,' it said.
Pakistan was elected as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2025-26 term in early June, about a month after India's counter-terrorism operation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, dubbed Operation Sindoor.
As part of its new term, Pakistan now holds key positions in two major UNSC subsidiary bodies — as Chair of the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee (TSC) and Vice-Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC). Also, it has been appointed Co-Chair in two informal working groups of the Council.
India, during its most recent tenure as a non-permanent UNSC member (2021–2022), held the Chair of three influential committees, the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee, the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee, and the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee.
With inputs from agencies
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