Overview

• Pakistan began chairing the UNSC’s 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee and will serve as vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee for 2025.
• Pakistan’s UN mission described the appointments as recognition of its counterterrorism efforts, while opponents warn this creates a conflict of interest.
• New Delhi has sent seven all-party parliamentary delegations and led ministerial outreach to fellow UNSC members to challenge Islamabad’s influence.
• Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, branded the appointments unacceptable and urged Pakistan’s re-listing on the FATF grey list.
• Islamabad has countered with its own high-level campaign, dispatching a delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to New York and key capitals.