Pakistan joins UN Security Council, gets virtual veto in sanctions committees for terrorism

Pakistan gets balance and virtual veto power over sanctioning terrorists it harbours

United Nations: Pakistan joins the UN Security Council on Wednesday subtly changing the balance in the world organisation’s highest decision-making body and getting a virtual veto power over sanctioning terrorists it harbours.

Elected in June as a non-permanent member, it will replace Japan for a two-year term on one of the two seats for Asia Pacific countries in the Council.

---

Now Islamabad will not have to rely on Beijing to protect its terrorists like the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Sajid Mir, at the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, which designates individuals and groups associated with those two organisations as terrorists and imposes sanctions.

Although only permanent members have a veto over decisions of the Council, non-permanent members have a virtual veto in the sanctions committees for terrorism because they act through consensus under accepted norms.

The virtual veto given by the consensus procedure has been denounced, with New Zealand, a former head of the Islamic State-al-Qaeda sanctions panel calling it “the single biggest inhibitor to Committee effectiveness”.

India has described the working of the sanctions committees as “subterranean” based on “obscure practices” without legal basis and called for transparency so that the rationale for decisions and how they are made is revealed.

Pakistan also gets a soapbox at the Council to amplify its campaign on Kashmir, an issue it routinely brings up regardless of the subject under discussion, launching virulent attacks on India.

However, this will be more of a continuing publicity stunt because it has been a voice in the wilderness unable to get any other country to join in despite trying to link Kashmir to the Palestine problem.

When Pakistan takes the presidency of the Council in July, it can convene at least two of what are called Signature Events on topics of its choice with high-level participation, both its own and invitees.

Even if it doesn’t directly make it an “anti-India” show, it can take a topic that it can manipulate for propaganda on India and Kashmir.

With Japan retiring, there is a subtle change in the balance at the polarised Council where a triumvirate of China, Russia and Pakistan will emerge on many issues.