Why Pakistan monitoring Taliban in UNSC is a rogue on police duty

India Today

11 hours ago

Pakistan as chair of the UNSC's 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee for 2025 may appear like a routine act in international diplomacy, but it's seemingly a deeply troubling irony. It will hold this position till December 31, 2025, while also serving as one of the vice-chairs of the 15-member UNSC's Counter-Terrorism Committee.Long accused of harbouring and aiding the Taliban, from its formation in 1994 to its resurgence in 2021, Pakistan is now tasked with overseeing punitive measures against it. Yet, there's a parallel truth to it — the Taliban, the very force Pakistan once nurtured, now appears increasingly estranged from it. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an offshoot of the outfit, has unleashed waves of deadly violence across the country over the years. In 2024, nearly 15,000 Taliban fighters reportedly mobilised towards the Durand Line after Pakistani airstrikes targeted TTP positions inside Afghanistan.advertisementThe signs of this estrangement are evident diplomatically too. The Taliban government in Afghanistan recently condemned the Pahalgam terror attack in India, stating that "such acts threaten regional security".
This statement came during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's first outreach to the "acting Afghan foreign minister", Amir Khan Muttaqi, on May 15, though India has not officially recognised the Taliban regime.WHAT ARE SOME CONCERNS?Now, with Pakistan as the chair of the committee responsible for overseeing sanctions, including asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes against individuals and entities associated with the Taliban that threaten peace and security in Afghanistan and the region, the concerns are layered.LEGITIMATE PLATFORM TO PAK: Firstly, though Pakistan's appointment as the chair is as per UN norms, it gives the seemingly rogue nation a legitimate platform and undermines the credibility of the UN to combat terrorism. Moreover, Islamabad can use this position to deflect or downplay India's longstanding allegations of its support for terrorism and whitewash its case on an international diplomatic platform.advertisementIndia has consistently raised concerns about Pakistan hosting the world's largest number of UN-proscribed terrorists and terror entities. One of the biggest examples of this was al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was found hiding in Abbottabad, about 1.5 kilometres from the Pakistani military's compounds, before being killed in a 2011 US operation.Pakistan is also the most persistently flagged country on the Financial Action Task Force List (FATF) grey list, as many as three times. India will reportedly send a dossier to the FATF before its plenary meeting in June to push for the re-inclusion of Pakistan in its grey list. The government will also reportedly oppose further World Bank funding to Pakistan.COULD DISRUPT INDIA-TALIBAN DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS: Secondly, it is important to note that the Taliban administration and India have been intensifying ties since the outfit again came to power in Kabul on August 16, 2021.With Pakistan chairing the sanctions committee against the Taliban, it may use the position to closely monitor or disrupt these diplomatic efforts, especially if it believes India's engagement with the Afghanistan government threatens Islamabad, mainly in the wake of the conflict on the Durand Line, and the Balochistan struggle.Since 2021, when the Baloch insurgency gained renewed momentum, Islamabad has repeatedly accused New Delhi of fomenting unrest in the region.advertisementSimultaneously, it has also been alleged that Afghanistan provides a safe haven for Baloch insurgents, particularly in the border provinces of Nimroz and Kandahar. It is important to note that many Baloch tribes have straddled the Afghanistan-Pakistan border for centuries and share deep cultural and linguistic ties with communities in southern Afghanistan.These parallel dynamics — India's growing regional influence and the ethnic affinity between Balochs and Afghans — have long unsettled Islamabad.While decisions in the UNSC committees are made by consensus, chairs have significant procedural influence, like meeting agendas and the framing of reports.The development has also triggered a political storm in India, with the Opposition Congress saying that Pakistan getting such positions in the UN shows that India's foreign policy has collapsed. The Congress urged that the Centre must take resolute diplomatic actions to de-hyphenate India and Pakistan on the global stage.While the Indian government has not officially responded, it remains to be seen how New Delhi's diplomatic machinery will counter Pakistan's use of international platforms.Tune InMust Watch