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India to Chair UNSC’s Crucial Taliban Sanctions Committee
India will chair the UN Security Council’s crucial Taliban and Libya sanctions, and counter-terrorism committee, Indian Representative to the UN said.
T. S. Tirumurti, Permanent Representative of India to UN, in a video message said Thursday: “I am happy to announce that India has been asked to chair three important committees of the Security Council which include the Taliban Sanctions Committee, counter-terrorism committee, and the Libyan sanctions committee.”
Tirumurti stated that the Taliban Sanctions Committee also in the 1988 Sanctions Committee, has always been a “high priority” for India.
“Keeping in mind our strong interest and commitment to peace security development and progress of Afghanistan,” he noted.
The Indian diplomat emphasized that India’s chairing this committee at this moment would help to “keep the focus on the presence of terrorists and their sponsors threatening the peace process in Afghanistan.”
“It has been our view that peace process and violence cannot go hand in hand,” Tirumurti said.
Referring to the counter-terrorism committee, which will be chaired by India, as a non-permanent member of the powerful15-nation UN body, in 2022, Tirumurti said the committee was formed in September 2001 soon after the “tragic terrorist attack” of 9/11.
“The chairing of this committee has a special resonance for India which has not only been in the forefront of fighting terrorism especially cross-border terrorism but has also been one of its biggest victims,” the Indian envoy pointed out.
Tirumurti said the Libya Sanctions Committee, also called the 1970 Sanctions Committee, is a “very important” subsidiary body of the Council, which implements the sanctions regime, including a two-way arms embargo on Libya and assets freeze, a travel ban and measures on illicit export of petroleum.
“We will be assuming the chair of this committee at a critical juncture when there is an international focus on Libya and on the peace process,” he said.
The UN Security Council has five permanent members including the US, Russia, China, the UK, and France who have veto powers, and 10 non-permanent members, five of which are elected each year for a two-year term.
In 2021, India, Norway, Kenya, Ireland, and Mexico secured seats for the whole period as non-permanent members, and Vietnam, Estonia, Niger, Tunisia, and Saint Vincent, and the Grenadines will be a part of the first year.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior Affairs says Sirajuddin Haqqani attended a graduation ceremony for more than 400 students of Noor-ul-Madaris Madrasa in Ghazni province.
The ministry said graduates from various departments of the madrasa received their graduation certificates at the ceremony.
According to the ministry, Haqqani highlighted the importance of education, good conduct and personal reform, while praising the contributions of religious scholars and clerics to the country’s academic and jihad-related efforts, as well as its reconstruction.
He also called on people to follow the teachings and example of religious scholars and predecessors and uphold their moral values and good conduct.
India has made it mandatory for Afghan Hindus and Sikhs who entered the country without valid travel documents to obtain visas to continue their stay.
The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs amended the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025, through a notification issued on Wednesday, The Hindu reported.
Under the amendment, Afghan Hindus and Sikhs who entered India on or before December 31, 2024, must obtain an appropriate category of visa to remain in the country.
The provision applies to those who entered India without valid travel documents or whose documents have since expired after seeking shelter due to religious persecution or fear of persecution.
The amendment retains an earlier exemption introduced on September 2, 2025, which allowed members of six non-Muslim communities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to enter India without valid passports or visas. However, the latest notification requires them to obtain an appropriate visa after entering the country to continue their stay.
Afghanistan has the potential to generate up to 220 gigawatts of electricity from solar energy, yet it spends more than $280 million annually on electricity imports, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says.
In a post on social media platform X on Thursday, UNDP said tapping into the country’s solar energy potential could reduce its reliance on imported electricity and expand public access to clean and sustainable energy.
According to the agency, more than 80 percent of Afghanistan’s electricity needs are currently met through imports, despite the country’s estimated solar power generation potential of up to 220 gigawatts.
Afghanistan imports most of its electricity from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran. Despite having considerable solar, wind and hydropower resources, the country has remained heavily dependent on foreign electricity supplies.
UNDP said that since 2021, its projects have helped more than 5.5 million people in Afghanistan gain access to clean energy.
The agency stressed the need for greater investment and cooperation among relevant institutions to harness Afghanistan’s solar energy potential and expand sustainable domestic electricity generation.
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