United Nations, May 1:In a huge diplomatic win for India, the United Nations on Wednesday designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist him under the Security Council’s Sanctions Committee.
“Big, small, all join together. Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist in @UN Sanctions list. Grateful to all for their support,” Syed Akbaruddin, India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, wrote in a tweet.
“It is a privilege & honour to serve India UN . Am humbled. Thank U for all the good wishes. Will strive to do my best,” his second tweet read. When asked whether China has lifted the hold, Akbaruddin told PTI that “yes, done”.
China lifted 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 horrific terror attack against Indians security forces in Pulwama carried out by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish.
China had put a hold in March on a fresh proposal by the US, the UK and France to impose a ban on the chief of the JeM which had claimed responsibility for the deadly Pulwama terror attack.
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 had 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 Security Council, blocked India’s proposal from being adopted by the Sanctions Committee.
“I can only say that I believe that this will be properly resolved,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing recently in Beijing. PTI
