Political reality of Afghanistan has changed, UN sanctions regime must take this into account: India at UN

India urged the UN to revise its Afghanistan sanctions regime, calling for incentives over punishment to reflect changed political realities. It highlighted humanitarian aid, development projects, and continued engagement with Afghan authorities to support stability and the Afghan people 

United Nations: India said the current UN sanctions regime must take into account the changed political reality of Afghanistan, and called for incentivising positive actions rather than only wielding tools of punishment.

“We lend our voice again in reemphasising the importance of incentivising positive actions. The political reality of Afghanistan has changed in the last five years and the current UN sanctions regime must take that into account,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni said.

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Addressing the UN Security Council meeting on the ‘Situation in Afghanistan’ Monday, Parvathaneni said the UN and international community need policy instruments that aim to benefit the people of Afghanistan and “nudge policy in the right direction rather than only wielding tools of punishment that are yielding diminishing returns.” Several leaders of the Taliban, which took control of Kabul in August 2021, are listed under the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

In October last year, the Taliban Sanctions Committee had approved an exemption to the travel ban imposed on Taliban leader and acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who had then visited India later that month.

He added that the history of close cooperation between India and Afghanistan are 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 said.

He also noted that India’s capacity building and Humanitarian Assistance initiatives for the Afghan people can be seen in all 34 provinces and in more than 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. Generations of Afghans having suffered years of active hostility are now suffering neglect of the international community,” he said.