Daily Editorial Analysis 30 September 2025

An Anti-Terror Role That Defies Logic 

Context

• The global fight against terrorism is often portrayed as a unified front, spearheaded by international bodies such as the United Nations (UN).
• Yet recent developments have exposed troubling contradictions at the heart of this struggle.
• Pakistan, a country long accused of sponsoring and sheltering terrorist organisations, has been granted leadership positions within the very UN committees designed to combat terrorism.
• This paradox not only undermines the credibility of the UN but also poses serious risks to regional and global security.

Pakistan’s Terror Infrastructure

• For decades, Pakistan has been accused of nurturing terrorism as a tool of state policy.
• From harbouring Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, just a short distance from its military academy, to providing direct support for groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), its role is well documented.
• High-profile incidents such as the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama bombing, and the April 2025 Pahalgam attack highlight a sustained pattern of cross-border terrorism nurtured on Pakistani soil.
• India’s response to the latest attack, Operation Sindoor, underscored the entrenched nature of this terror infrastructure.
• Further evidence came from the presence of Pakistani officials at the funerals of slain militants, demonstrating institutional complicity.
• The continuing prominence of UN-designated terrorists like Hafiz Saeed, who remains politically and socially active despite his supposed imprisonment, reinforces Pakistan’s status as a terror shelter.

The UN’s Contradictory Decisions

• Against this backdrop, Pakistan’s elevation to leadership roles in the UN’s counter-terrorism mechanisms is deeply troubling.
• In June 2025, Pakistan was appointed to chair the Taliban Sanctions Committee and serve as vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee.
• By July, it even assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.
• These decisions echo earlier controversies, such as Libya chairing the Human Rights Commission or Saudi Arabia leading the Women’s Rights Commission.
• Four key issues emerge:
  • Contradiction of Mandates: Pakistan’s sponsorship of terror groups directly violates the objectives of the UN committees it now leads.
  • Weak Vetting Standards: Its removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in 2022 despite ongoing concerns about terror financing reflects systemic leniency.
  • Geopolitical Bias: Major powers often prioritise strategic or economic interests over moral imperatives, enabling Pakistan’s ascent.
  • Dangerous Precedent: Rewarding duplicity legitimises state-sponsored terrorism and sends the message that diplomatic packaging can outweigh security realities.
• The situation was compounded when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a $1 billion loan for Pakistan in May 2025, sparking concerns that the funds might be diverted to sustain terror networks.

Implications for India and Global Security

• The UN’s decisions undermine India’s efforts to highlight Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism.
• With a foothold in UN counter-terrorism bodies, Pakistan can shape global narratives, deflect accusations, and even obstruct sanctions against its proxy groups.
• It also gains leverage to weaken India’s diplomatic engagement with the Taliban regime and project itself as a responsible international actor.
• For India, the challenge is twofold: neutralising Pakistan’s diplomatic manoeuvres while simultaneously reinforcing its own security. Countermeasures must include:
  • Leveraging alliances with UNSC members to balance Pakistan’s influence.
  • Highlighting Pakistan’s terror links in global forums and pushing for stringent accountability.
  • Deepening engagement with Afghanistan, including humanitarian aid missions, to reduce Pakistan’s sway over the Taliban.
  • Launching a global information campaign through media, academia, and diaspora networks to expose Pakistan’s duplicity.
  • Strengthening intelligence and cyber-security frameworks to mitigate asymmetric threats.

The UN’s Crisis of Integrity

• The UN’s willingness to overlook Pakistan’s terror links raises profound questions about its moral compass and credibility.
• By placing Pakistan in charge of counter-terrorism, the UN risks undermining its own authority, alienating victims of terrorism, and emboldening state sponsors of extremism.
• The appointment also reflects a larger pattern of selective morality in international governance, where political convenience trumps ethical consistency.

Conclusion

• The paradox of Pakistan’s elevation to UN counter-terrorism leadership illustrates the dangerous gap between rhetoric and reality in global governance.
• For India, the challenge lies not just in managing Pakistan’s duplicity but also in ensuring that the international community recognises the threat such decisions pose to collective security.
• Ultimately, the issue is larger than India or Pakistan: it is about whether the UN can remain a credible arbiter in the fight against terrorism.
• If state sponsors of terror are allowed to dictate the global counter-terrorism agenda, the world risks legitimising extremism instead of eradicating it.

An Anti-Terror Role That Defies Logic FAQs

 Q1. Why is Pakistan’s leadership role in UN counter-terrorism committees controversial?
Ans. It is controversial because Pakistan has a long history of harbouring and supporting terrorist groups, which directly contradicts the objectives of those committees.

Q2. What event in April 2025 highlighted Pakistan’s continuing support for terrorism?
Ans. The Pahalgam attack on tourists in April 2025 exposed Pakistan’s ongoing role as a haven for terror groups.

Q3. How does Pakistan’s UN role affect India’s counter-terrorism efforts?
Ans. Pakistan’s new position allows it to shape narratives, block sanctions, and undermine India’s attempts to portray it as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Q4. What larger problem does Pakistan’s elevation reveal about the UN?
Ans. It reveals a crisis of credibility within the UN, showing that geopolitical convenience often outweighs moral and security imperatives.

Q5. What strategies should India adopt in response?
Ans. India should strengthen its alliances, expose Pakistan’s duplicity internationally, engage Afghanistan more actively, and reinforce its intelligence and security systems.

Source: The Hindu

South-South and Triangular Cooperation is More Than a Diplomatic Phrase

Context

• With only a third of the time left before the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the urgency of reimagining global cooperation has never been more pressing.
• Among the most promising frameworks for collective progress is South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC), an approach rooted in solidarity, mutual respect, and shared learning.
• First formalised through the Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA) in 1978, SSTC has evolved into a vital mechanism for development, offering cost-effective, replicable, and contextually relevant solutions in a rapidly changing global landscape.

The Evolution and Relevance of SSTC

• Unlike traditional aid models, SSTC operates on principles of equality and mutual benefit, enabling developing nations to learn from one another’s experiences.
• Its importance has grown in an era defined by geopolitical instability, climate change, and widening inequality.
• By amplifying the strengths of developing countries and pooling resources, SSTC provides more sustainable and scalable solutions at a time when funding for humanitarian and development efforts is shrinking.
• Triangular cooperation further expands this framework by connecting developing nations with traditional donors, emerging economies, civil society, and the private sector.
• This diversified partnership approach enhances accountability, trust, and inclusivity, resulting in development models that are people-centred and resilient.

India’s Philosophy and Leadership in SSTC

• India’s development philosophy is anchored in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the idea that the world is one family.

• This ethos informs its role as a key driver of SSTC, where it combines moral leadership with practical innovation.
• India has consistently positioned itself as an advocate for sovereignty, inclusion, and multilateral cooperation.
• Concrete contributions highlight India’s leadership:
  • Global advocacy and diplomacy: Hosting the Voice of the Global South Summits and pushing for permanent African Union membership in the G20.
  • Institutional mechanisms: Establishing the Development Partnership Administration and implementing the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, which has trained professionals in over 160 countries.
  • Financial support: Launching the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, which has financed over 75 projects across 56 countries.
  • Technological innovation: Sharing digital public infrastructure models like Aadhaar and UPI, alongside advancements in climate resilience, healthcare, and sustainable financing.

India and the World Food Programme: A Model of Innovation

• India’s collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) provides a striking example of how SSTC can generate scalable solutions.
• Over six decades, this partnership has produced innovations that improved India’s food security and now serve as models for other nations. Notable initiatives include:
• Annapurti (Grain ATMs) for efficient food distribution.
• Optimised national supply chains for the public distribution system.
• Women-led Take-Home Ration programmes improving nutrition at scale.
• National rice fortification projects enhancing dietary quality.
• These interventions exemplify how localised innovation can achieve global relevance, offering replicable models for countries facing similar challenges.

Financing and Scaling SSTC

• Sustained progress requires strong institutions and predictable financing. Encouragingly, contributions to SSTC have steadily grown.
• In the past three decades, 47 governments have supported the UN Fund for South-South Cooperation, benefitting people in 155 countries.
• The India-UN Fund has further extended these efforts, particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
• In 2024 alone, the WFP mobilised over $10.9 million from Global South countries and the private sector for SSTC projects targeting Zero Hunger (SDG 2).
• Initiatives like rice fortification in Nepal and development projects in Lao PDR demonstrate the tangible outcomes of these partnerships.

The Way Forward: Towards a Renewed Spirit of Partnership

• The 2025 theme for UN Day for South-South and Triangular Cooperation, New Opportunities and Innovation through SSTC, captures the pressing need to invest in creativity, knowledge-sharing, and institutional strength.
• The challenges ahead demand not only technical solutions but also a new spirit of partnership grounded in equality, innovation, and mutual accountability.
• SSTC is not merely a diplomatic instrument; it is a transformative pathway.
• By valuing contributions from all nations, nurturing innovation, and prioritising the needs of communities, it can drive progress towards a more equitable and sustainable global future.

Conclusion

• The trajectory of SSTC illustrates how solidarity among developing nations can generate lasting global impact.
• India’s leadership, through innovation, financing, and advocacy, showcases the transformative potential of this model.
• Yet, achieving the SDGs requires more than isolated successes; it calls for a collective renewal of partnerships across sectors and regions.
• In this shared journey, SSTC offers both a compass and a lifeline, guiding the world toward a future of inclusivity, resilience, and sustainability.

South-South and Triangular Cooperation is More Than a Diplomatic Phrase FAQs

Q1. What is South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC)?
Ans. SSTC is a development model where countries of the Global South share knowledge, resources, and innovations, often in partnership with traditional donors, to achieve sustainable and equitable progress.

Q2. Why is SSTC considered more effective than traditional aid in some contexts?
Ans. SSTC is cost-effective, replicable, and tailored to local conditions, making it more relevant and impactful than one-size-fits-all traditional aid models.

Q3. How does India’s philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam influence its role in SSTC?
Ans. The philosophy that “the world is one family” guides India to promote inclusion, solidarity, and mutual respect in its global development partnerships.

Q4. What are some innovations developed through India’s partnership with the World Food Programme?
Ans. Notable innovations include Grain ATMs, supply chain optimisation for food distribution, women-led Take-Home Ration programmes, and rice fortification projects.

Q5. What is the theme for the 2025 UN Day for South-South and Triangular Cooperation?
Ans. The theme is New Opportunities and Innovation through SSTC, highlighting the need for strong institutions, financing, and creative solutions.

Source: The Hindu

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