Pakistan has been designated to lead the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee in 2025. This committee plays a crucial role in enforcing a range of international sanctions, such as asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes on individuals and entities affiliated with the Taliban who are perceived to be threatening the peace and security in Afghanistan.
The appointment places Pakistan at the center of a sensitive international mechanism targeting Taliban-related threats, underlining its renewed engagement in global counter-terrorism frameworks. Guyana and Russia will serve as vice-chairs of the same committee alongside Pakistan.
In addition to chairing the Taliban Sanctions Committee, Pakistan is also set to take on a vice-chair role in the United Nations’ 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee. This committee is responsible for overseeing measures adopted under Security Council Resolution 1373, which mandates member states to prevent and suppress terrorism and its financing. Algeria will chair the committee, while France and Russia will also serve as vice-chairs, highlighting the multilateral nature of leadership across the body.
Pakistan’s responsibilities within the Security Council will not end there. It will also co-chair two informal working groups: one focused on Documentation and Procedural Questions, and the other addressing General Sanctions Issues. These working groups play a critical function in guiding how Security Council sanctions processes are documented, structured, and refined over time.
Meanwhile, Denmark has been appointed to lead the 1267 Sanctions Committee, which targets ISIL and Al-Qaida entities. Russia and Sierra Leone will assist Denmark as vice-chairs in this committee. The 1267 Committee is another high-profile sanctions body aimed at curbing global terrorism through enforcement of sanctions on extremist groups beyond the Afghan context.
These UN sanctions committees consist of all 15 members of the Security Council, including both permanent and non-permanent members. Importantly, their decisions are reached by consensus, requiring negotiation and cooperation among all member states regardless of political alignment.
Pakistan is currently serving as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2025–26 term. This marks a return to the UNSC for the country and positions it at the heart of deliberations on international peace and security over the next two years.
Pakistan’s elevation to these roles comes in a context shaped by past tensions, especially with neighboring India, over the issue of counter-terrorism. India previously chaired the Counter-Terrorism Committee during its own non-permanent membership term from 2021 to 2022. During that period, India often expressed concern over Pakistan’s record on terrorism, emphasizing what it described as Islamabad’s harboring of numerous UN-designated terrorists.
India has particularly drawn attention to the case of Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaida, who was located and killed in 2011 by U.S. forces in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad. Referring to this, India has regularly questioned Pakistan’s credibility on counter-terrorism efforts and its commitment to tackling safe havens for terrorists.
Nonetheless, Pakistan’s new leadership roles within the UNSC structure reflect broader international acknowledgment of its involvement in global security dialogues and its ability to work within multilateral institutions. As chair and co-chair of key sanctions and procedural bodies, Pakistan will now play a direct role in shaping the enforcement of international norms and decisions targeting terrorism.
The current composition of the Security Council includes five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—along with ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. The present group of non-permanent members comprises Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia.
In recent UNSC elections held on Tuesday, five countries were elected as new non-permanent members for the 2026–2027 term. These are Bahrain, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Latvia, and Colombia. These states will replace outgoing members whose terms will expire at the end of 2025, joining the rotating group of ten non-permanent members and thereby influencing Security Council deliberations from 2026 onward.
The appointment of Pakistan to lead the Taliban Sanctions Committee comes at a critical juncture for Afghanistan. The situation in the country remains volatile following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 after the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. The 1988 Committee, named after the resolution that established it, is tasked with ensuring that individuals and groups linked to the Taliban do not threaten the peace process or engage in activities that destabilize the region.
The work of this committee involves constant monitoring, coordination with UN missions and member states, and updating lists of designated individuals and entities. It also collaborates with experts to assess the impact and effectiveness of sanctions and to propose recommendations for their improvement.
Given Pakistan’s proximity to Afghanistan and its long-standing involvement in regional security matters, its appointment to lead this committee could prove significant for both policy direction and implementation. Pakistan’s leadership will be closely scrutinized by the international community, particularly by states that have raised concerns about its historical ties with elements of the Taliban.
Pakistan’s role in the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee will also be watched carefully. The committee promotes national, regional, and international efforts to combat terrorism by monitoring the implementation of counter-terrorism measures. It reviews member states’ legal and institutional frameworks and encourages information-sharing and cooperation to prevent and respond to terrorist threats.
By assuming vice-chair responsibilities in this committee, Pakistan will have a hand in guiding these evaluations and recommendations—potentially influencing how the international community assesses compliance and gaps in global counter-terrorism efforts.
Similarly, its participation in the informal working groups on documentation and sanctions procedures will enable Pakistan to shape the administrative and technical dimensions of the Security Council’s sanctions regime. These include how evidence is compiled, how listing and delisting procedures function, and how compliance is monitored across various regions and political environments.
In conclusion, Pakistan’s multiple appointments within the United Nations Security Council structure for 2025 mark a notable expansion of its diplomatic role at the global level. While questions about its past record remain part of the international conversation, its leadership in key committees dealing with the Taliban, terrorism, and sanctions procedures will place it at the heart of the UN’s efforts to address some of the world’s most urgent security challenges.