United Nations: In a huge diplomatic win for India, the United Nations designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a ‘global terrorist’ Wednesday after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist him.
“Big, small, all join together. Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist in @UN Sanctions list. Grateful to all for their support,” India’s Ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin tweeted. A UNSC designation will subject Azhar to an assets freeze, travel ban and an arms embargo.
China removed its hold on the proposal, which was moved by France, UK and the US in the Security Council’s 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee in February just days after the deadly Pulwama terror attack carried out by the Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM.
A veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC), China was the sole hold-out in the 15-nation body on the bid to blacklist Azhar, blocking attempts by placing a ‘technical hold’ and asking for ‘more time to examine’ the proposal.
When asked whether China has lifted the hold, Akbaruddin told this agency ‘yes, done’.
The sanctions committee makes its decisions by consensus of its members.
In recent days, there had been indications that China is likely to come around and will lift its hold on the Azhar proposal. Beijing had said Tuesday that the vexed issue of designating Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN will be ‘properly resolved’.
Beijing put the hold on the proposal March 13, scuttling yet another attempt to blacklist the JeM chief. The proposal was the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist.
In 2009, India moved a proposal by itself to designate Azhar. In 2016 again India moved the proposal with the P3 – the United States, the United Kingdom and France in the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar, also the mastermind of the attack on the air base in Pathankot in January, 2016.
In 2017, the P3 nations moved a similar proposal again. However, on all occasions China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UNSC, blocked India’s proposal from being adopted by the Sanctions Committee.
Beijing lifting its hold is a massive diplomatic win for India, which had relentlessly pursued the matter with its international allies. There had been sustained international pressure on China, particularly from the US, to remove its objection to Azhar’s listing.
Hectic discussions between New Delhi, Washington, New York and Beijing had ensued after the March 13 hold by Beijing it was clear that India will not relent on the matter.