NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s demands, as a non-permanent member of UN Security Council (UNSC), for leadership of four terrorism-related committees have been rebuffed by other members of the council, official sources here said. The country had to make do with chairship of only the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee.Pakistan had demanded chairships of the 1267 Sanctions Committee; 1540 (Non-Proliferation) Sanctions Committee; 1988 Taliban Committee; and 1373 Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC). Apart from the Taliban committee, it has also been allowed CTC’s vice-chairship. India sees this as well short of its neighbour’s “tall expectations and claims”.Pakistan’s demands caused a lack of consensus in UNSC, delaying the process of allocation of UN committees by about five months. “The allocation should have been undertaken by Jan 2025,” said an official.‘Other members weren’t happy with Pak attitude’ An official, who said Pakistan’s demands had delayed the process of allocation of UN committees by about five months, said: “A lack of consensus and unreasonable demands by Pakistan prevented a consensus till June 2025. The other council members were not happy with this uncompromising and undeserving attitude depicted by Pakistan’s demands.” Any effort by Pakistan to target India on the issue of terrorism is likely to run into serious checks and balances, likely to be imposed by other members. An official source, who did not want to be named, said countries (China, France, Russia, UK and the US – the five permanent UNSC members) didn’t want to head any of the committees, knowing well that chairs don’t matter much, as they can only operate through consensus. Chairships do allow non-permanent members to make some noise, as Pakistan has been doing, the official added.While the Taliban committee is mandated with overseeing the implementation of sanctions on terrorists and designating individuals and entities which meet the listing criteria, the presence of friendly countries – such as Russia and Guyana – as vice-chairs in the committee would be reassuring for India. “India will work closely with its friends in the council,” an official said. Govt sources also said that the position of vice-chair of the CTC, which Pakistan has been allocated, was not very substantive. It is not even a co-chair, and the post is ceremonial. “Pakistan, despite all its rhetoric, has not been able to get its way,” said another source on the condition of anonymity. “India was chair of the 1373 CTC in 2022. India had earlier, too, during its 2011-’12 UNSC term, chaired the 1373 CTC.” The source added that this reflected Pakistan’s “standing and credibility” in the UN.
