India Urges UN To Review Afghanistan Sanctions Amid Changed Political Reality

India has urged the United Nations Security Council to modernise its sanctions framework on Afghanistan, arguing that the existing punitive measures are yielding diminishing returns and fail to reflect the country's altered political landscape.

The call for reform comes as New Delhi advocates for a shift towards incentivising constructive actions by the current administration in Kabul, rather than relying solely on isolation. Addressing a UN Security Council meeting on the ‘Situation in Afghanistan’ on Monday, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, stated that the international community requires policy instruments designed to benefit the Afghan population and steer governance in the right direction.

"We lend our voice again in reemphasising the importance of incentivising positive actions," Parvathaneni said, noting that the political reality of Afghanistan has changed in the last five years and the current UN sanctions regime must take that into account. According to PTI, several leaders of the Taliban, who seized control of Kabul in August 2021, remain blacklisted under the UN Security Council’s 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee.

However, diplomatic adjustments have occasionally been made. PTI reported that in October last year, the Taliban Sanctions Committee approved a travel ban exemption for acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, enabling his subsequent visit to India later that month.

Ambassador Parvathaneni emphasised that the long history of close cooperation between India and Afghanistan continues to guide their modern-day relationship. "The proud people of Afghanistan have endured a lot in this century and the Government of India will continue to stand in favour of peace and stability so as to foster development and stability in this nation,” he stated.

Highlighting India's ongoing commitment, the ambassador pointed out that New Delhi's capacity building and humanitarian assistance initiatives span all 34 Afghan provinces, encompassing over 500 development partnership projects.

"The visits to India of Afghan Ministers last year have ensured necessary planning and coordination so that our support reaches the intended beneficiaries," Parvathaneni said, adding that generations of Afghans, having suffered years of active hostility, are now suffering neglect from the international community.

(With inputs from PTI)