India says UNSC membership must not be used to 'legitimise' terrorists through sanctions

India has said membership of the UN Security Council must not be used as a tool to legitimise terrorists by seeking their removal from sanctions regimes or to blacklist entities solely on political considerationsAddressing an open debate on the working methods of the Security Council on Wednesday Charge dAffaires at Indias Permanent Mission to the UN Ambassador Yojna Patel said the powerful 15member body must not become a platform for pursuing narrow political interestsSecurity Council membership brings significant responsibilities This must not become a platform to pursue narrow political interests she saidPatel highlighted the need for greater transparency and objectivity in the listing and delisting of terrorists and terror entities under the Councils sanctions regimesListing and delisting are a case in point There must be more transparency and objectivity on this front Presence in the Security Council must not be instrumentalised to legitimise terrorists by attempting to delist them or to list other entities as terrorist organisations based solely on political considerations without any objective criteria or supporting documentation Patel saidIndia flags opaque sanctions committee processesIndia has repeatedly criticised what it considers a lack of transparency in decisions taken by Security Council sanctions committees on proposals to designate terrorists and terror organisationsNew Delhi has also called for greater openness in the functioning of the Councils subsidiary bodies While decisions on listings are made public India has pointed out that details concerning rejected proposals or those placed under technical hold remain the exclusive preserve of a select group of membersIndia has previously described such practices as a disguised veto and raised particular concerns over the functioning of the 1267 AlQaida Sanctions CommitteeNew Delhi has maintained that evidencebased proposals to designate internationally sanctioned terrorists should not be blocked without adequate explanation It has argued that such practices undermine the Security Councils stated commitment to combating terrorismChina has blocked some Indiabacked designationsIndia has previously encountered such hurdles in its efforts to designate Pakistanbased terrorists at the United Nations China a permanent member of the Security Council has in the past placed holds on or blocked some of Indias proposalsThe issue has been a longstanding concern for New Delhi which has sought greater accountability in the sanctions process and clearer criteria for decisions involving the listing and delisting of individuals and entitiesIndia also raised concerns over delays in finalising the chairs of the Security Councils subsidiary bodies including the 1267 AlQaida and Taliban sanctions committeesIndia seeks timeline for naming committee chairsEight months into 2026 the Security Council is yet to finalise the chairs and vicechairs of its subsidiary bodies India called for urgent action to resolve the delaySubsidiary bodies serve important functions and enable better implementation of Security Council mandates However these bodies have not been able to deliver optimally in the recent past primarily due to the delay in finalising the Chairs Patel saidShe called for the issue to be addressed as a priority and for a definitive and nonnegotiable timeline to be established for finalising the chairs of the subsidiary bodiesDenmark which holds the Security Council presidency for August also raised concerns over the delay In a stakeout at the UN headquarters Denmark said the unprecedented delay in appointing chairs of the UNSC subsidiary bodies undermines the Councils effectiveness credibility and institutional integrityCouncil members called for flexibility and political will to resolve the impasse Denmark saidIndia seeks greater role for elected membersIndia also called for greater transparency for the Councils elected nonpermanent members in several ongoing processesFor instance elected members and by implication the General Assembly must have a greater say in crucial aspects such as election of the UN SecretaryGeneral Patel saidThe UN SecretaryGeneral is appointed by the 193member General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council China France Russia the UK and the US are the Councils five permanent members and have veto powersNew Delhi renews call for Security Council reformPatel also stressed that the case for reforming the Security Council has become more urgent as the global order has changed significantly since the body was establishedOur joint endeavour must be on appropriately equipping the UNSC to address contemporary and future challenges The world of 1945 has changed beyond recognitionUN membership has grown fourfold since then The outcome of one conflict 80 years ago cannot determine the composition dynamics approaches and working methods for perpetuity This needs to change and must happen at the earliest she saidWith inputs from PTI