UNSC exempts Taliban leaders from travel ban for 90 days

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has exempted Taliban leaders from the travel ban for a period beginning on December 22, 2021, and ending on March 21, 2022.

The list includes prominent leaders of the Islamic Emirate like First Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai.

"The Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) decided on 22 December 2021 to extend the exemption to the travel ban imposed by paragraph 1 (b) of resolution 2255 (2015) for Abdul Ghani Baradar Abdul Ahmad Turk (TAi.024), Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai Padshah Khan (TAi.067), Zia-Ur-Rahman Madani (TAi.102), Abdul Salam Hanafi Ali Mardan Qul (TAi.027), Shahabuddin Delawar (TAi.113), Abdul Latif Mansur (TAi.007), Amir Khan Motaqi (TAi.026), Abdul-Haq Wassiq (TAi.082), Khairullah Khairkhwah (TAi.093), Nurullah Nuri (TAi.089), Fazl Mohammad Mazloom (TAi.023), Abdul Kabir Mohammad Jan (TAi.003), Din Mohammad Hanif (TAi.043) and Noor Mohammad Saqib (TAi.110), for a 90-day period beginning on 22 December 2021 and ending on 21 March 2022," read UNSC statement.

Earlier in December, a UN committee deferred a decision on the representation of Afghanistan and Myanmar at the United Nations.

Meanwhile, the Taliban had nominated its Doha-based spokesperson Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan's envoy to the UN.

Afghanistan's permanent mission base in New York on December 17 in a press statement said that Naseer Ahmad Faiq will assume the post of Permanent Representative in the UN after Ghulam Isaczai resigned from the post.

"The travel ban exemption is solely for travels required for participation in peace and stability discussions in a range of countries. Individual itineraries will depend on the location of peace discussions. The Committee has also decided to grant a limited asset freeze exemption only for financing exempted travels," added UNSC release.

At least 14 members of the Taliban's interim government in Kabul are on the UNSC terrorism blacklist, including acting Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund.

(ANI)