Pakistan named as vice-chair of UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee

NEW YORK: In a major diplomatic win, Pakistan has been named as the Vice-Chair of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), marking significant achievement on international level.

The CTC compromises of 15 nations and responsible for monitoring and guiding global level efforts to combat extremism.

Pakistan is also named as the Chairman of the UNSC’s Sanctions Committee, which lookafter  sanctions against the Taliban.

The committee decides by agreement of all 15 members of the council traveling, asset freezing and all other matters linked with the Taliban leaders.

Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, will chair the committee of the 1988 Sanctions Committee.

Earlier, Following Pakistan’s decision to appoint an ambassador to Afghanistan, the interim Taliban government has said that they will elevate the status of its mission in Islamabad from chargé d’affaires to ambassador.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced that Islamabad has designated Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul, Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani, as ambassador.

“I am pleased to announce the decision of the Government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its Chargé d’Affaires in Kabul to the level of Ambassador,” he wrote on the social media site X.

Following the decision, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry welcomed Islamabad’s move and described it as a positive step toward strengthening bilateral ties.

“This elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan & Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains,” the ministry said in a statement.

The diplomatic source indicated the Taliban administration was also likely to reciprocate the move by upgrading its top envoy in Islamabad, Maw­lawi Sardar Ahmad Shak­eeb, to ambassadorial level.