Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, has been appointed chair of the U.N. Security Council’s 1988 Sanctions Committee, which monitors sanctions targeting the Taliban, according to a newly released list of committee leadership roles for 2025.
His vice chair are representatives of Guyana and Russia.
He succeeds José Javier De La Gasca of Ecuador, who held the position through the end of 2024.
The appointment comes amid renewed diplomatic engagement in Afghanistan, led in part by China. According to diplomats familiar with the matter, Islamabad actively sought the role in a bid to recalibrate its strained relationship with the Taliban-led government in Kabul.
The 1988 Committee is tasked with overseeing travel bans, asset freezes and arms embargoes against individuals and entities associated with the Taliban. Decisions within the committee are reached by consensus among the Security Council’s 15 members. Guyana and Russia will serve as vice chairs for the current term.
Pakistan, which was elected earlier this year to a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, is widely seen to have gained a strategic advantage with the appointment. Regional analysts suggest Islamabad may use its leadership role to press the Taliban on counterterrorism concerns — particularly regarding Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group Pakistan accuses of launching cross-border attacks from Afghan territory.
Taliban have denied providing shelter or support to the TTP. However, Pakistani officials maintain that TTP fighters operate freely inside Afghanistan, and have repeatedly called on Kabul to take decisive action.
Cross-border tensions have escalated in recent months, marked by a rise in insurgent attacks along Pakistan’s western frontier. On June 3, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during a visit to Peshawar alongside senior military and intelligence officials, called for greater cooperation with the Taliban to safeguard regional stability. He also warned that Afghan territory must not be used as a base for “proxy attacks by foreign actors,” in what was widely interpreted as a reference to India.
Speaking to tribal elders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Sharif accused India of backing “networks of terror” operating in Pakistan — an allegation India has consistently denied. The Taliban, for their part, have reiterated that Afghanistan’s soil is not being used to threaten neighboring states.
Analysts say Ahmad’s appointment places Pakistan in a pivotal position as Security Council members continue to debate how to engage with the Taliban regime, amid broader concerns over human rights, regional security and the enforcement of international sanctions.
