In recent news developments, UN officials have stated that there have been no requests from the UN Security Council’s permanent members to delist the top leadership of the Taliban from sanctions. This update refutes claims that the upcoming Taliban Sanctions Committee meeting, also known as the 1988 committee meeting, would lift sanctions on noted terrorists like Sirajuddin Haqqani and Mullah Baradar.
The 1988 Committee Meeting: Role and Expectations
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN (UNPR) is leading this committee until December 2021. The UNPR is responsible for deciding the meeting dates and evaluating requests to delist Taliban leaders. The upcoming meeting, scheduled for September 2021, is likely to discuss multiple significant aspects.
The key points include the possibility of extending special travel exemptions to 14 Taliban members currently involved in peace and reconciliation efforts, and whether other Taliban leaders should receive similar exemptions. Additionally, it will debate the renewal of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) mandate, which expires this September.
The Meeting’s Significance
This meeting is the first of its kind since the Taliban took control of Kabul and marks a crucial turning point following the scheduled withdrawal of US troops. The positions adopted by permanent UNSC members, specifically the US, Russia, China, France, and UK, during this meeting, will provide insights into their stance towards the evolving Taliban-led regime in Afghanistan.
Committee Challenges
The primary challenge for this committee meeting is aligning the reality of the Taliban-dominated regime with a renewed mandate for UNAMA. Currently, it seems unlikely that the UN will accept the new regime, since doing so would enable the Taliban to propose delisting its members from sanctions.
Implications for India: The Weight of Sanctions
The potential delisting of Sirajuddin Haqqani holds significant implications for India. Haqqani, along with his group founded by his father Jalaluddin Haqqani, is associated with the bombings at the Indian Embassy in Kabul in 2008 and 2009.
India played a key role during its tenure as the President of the UN Security Council in November 2012, ensuring the designation of the Haqqani group as a terror entity.
A Brief Background on the Taliban Sanctions Committee
Established in 1999 pursuant to Resolution 1267, the committee was formed to enforce an air embargo and asset freeze on the Taliban. It was later split into two separate committees in 2011, with the formation of the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee and the 1988 Committee to oversee sanctions against the Taliban.
This committee, chaired by India until December 31, 2021, includes all 15 members of the Security Council and operates by consensus. Its mandate is broad-ranging, including overseeing sanctions implementation, designating individuals and entities under the relevant resolutions, considering exemption requests, and regularly reviewing the 1988 Sanctions List.