India has criticised Pakistan heading the Security Council’s committee on sanctions against the Taliban and co-chairing the counter-terrorism panel, citing conflicts of interest. Council members must be prevented from chairing committees when they have vested interests, India’s Permanent Representative P Harish said yesterday at the Council debate on its working methods.

 

 

He did not name Pakistan, which is an elected member of the Council serving a two-year term, or the Taliban sanctions committee or the counter-terrorism panel, but it was obvious who and which committees he was referring to. The panel known as the 1988 committee after the serial number of the resolution creating it, has the power to ban travel by Taliban members and the visit of Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India, which finally took place last month, had faced delays because of hitches in getting a travel waiver.

 

 

Pakistan is locked in a conflict with Taliban-led Afghanistan and there have been skirmishes between their forces. Pakistan is the co-chair of the counter-terrorism committee while providing a safe haven to several terrorist groups and leaders, including those sanctioned by the UN. Harish also called for ripping off the veil of secrecy shrouding the working of the Security Council’s anti-terrorism committees and the selection of their chairs.