Pakistan secures the key seat in UNS Counter-Terrorism Committee
Pakistan has achieved a significant diplomatic victory by securing the position of vice-chair of the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) Counter-Terrorism Committee. The committee oversees the implementation of Resolution 1373 (2001), which focuses on international counter-terrorism efforts. Pakistan’s mission to the UN issued the official statement on Wednesday.
Islamabad has actively promoted the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and has significantly contributed to international peace and security. As one of the leading troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions worldwide, Pakistan has maintained a strong presence on the global stage. In June 2024, it secured a seat on the UN Security Council, replacing Japan in the Asian seat.
Pakistan has endured severe consequences of terrorism for over two decades, with more than 80,000 lives lost and thousands more injured.
The issue of India’s alleged sponsorship and support of terrorist groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) to conduct attacks within Pakistan has been repeatedly raised by Pakistani authorities.
Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors have plunged to their lowest point following a recent standoff over the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam, located in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The incident was blamed on Islamabad by New Delhi.
Pakistan categorically rejected the allegation, offered a transparent probe into the incident, and urged the international community to take notice of Indian proxies involved in terrorism inside the country.
According to a statement issued by Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN today, the UN Security Council appointed Pakistan as Chair of the Committee established under resolution 1988 (2011), which oversees the implementation of sanctions measures on the Taliban.
The UN Security Council has further recognized Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement by appointing it as Co-Chair of both the Informal Working Group (IWG) on documentation and working methods, and the newly formed IWG on Sanctions.
The documentation group aims to enhance transparency, efficiency, and inclusiveness in the Security Council’s procedures, while the IWG on Sanctions seeks to improve the design and effectiveness of UN sanctions regimes.
“These appointments represent an acknowledgement of Pakistan’s active engagement with the United Nations system, including its constructive role as an elected member of the Security Council. They are also an international recognition of Pakistan’s counter terrorism efforts,” the mission said.
It added, “Pakistan remains committed to working with the United Nations and fellow member states in advancing the principles and purposes of the UN Charter as well as playing its part in the global fight against terrorism in collaboration with its international partners.”
In the latest UNSC elections held on Tuesday, the Council elected five new countries — Bahrain, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia, Liberia, and Colombia — to serve for a two-year term starting January 1, 2026.
The Security Council, the only UN body that can make legally binding decisions such as imposing sanctions and authorizing the use of force, includes five permanent veto-wielding members: Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States.
The UN elects the remaining 10 members of the Security Council, with five new members joining every year. Bahrain, Colombia, the DRC, Latvia, and Liberia—all elected in uncontested slates—will replace Algeria, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Guyana, and Slovenia.
The UN allocates seats to regional groups to ensure geographical representation. Even when candidates run unopposed in their group, the General Assembly still requires them to secure support from more than two-thirds of its members.
