MEA expresses disappointment after China blocks bid to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday expressed disappointment after China blocked a proposal in the UN Security Council to ban Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad's chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, in a major blow to India.

The proposal to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UNSC was moved by France, the UK and the US on February 27, days after a suicide bomber of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, leading to a heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.

In a statement released by the MEA after the move, it asserted that India will continue to pursue all available avenues to ensure that terrorist leaders who are involved in heinous attacks on Indians are brought to justice.

"The ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee (1267 Sanctions Committee), upon completion of the no-objection period on 13 March 2019, was not able to come to a decision on the proposal for listing Mohammed Masood Azhar Alvi under the UN Sanctions regime, on account of a member placing the proposal on hold," said the MEA statement.

"We are disappointed by this outcome. This has prevented action by the international community to designate the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a proscribed and active terrorist organization which has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 14 February 2019. We will continue to pursue all available avenues to ensure that terrorist leaders who are involved in heinous attacks on our citizens are brought to justice," added the statement.

The government expressed gratefulness for the efforts of the member states who moved the designation proposal. "We are grateful for the efforts of the Member States who moved the designation proposal and the unprecedented number of all other Security Council members as well as non-members who joined as co-sponsors," added the statement.

Minutes before the deadline was about to expire, China put a "technical hold" on the proposal, a diplomat at the United Nations told news agency PTI. The diplomat said China asked for "more time to examine" the proposal.

The proposal was the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist.

According to the listing rules of the Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee, if no objection is received by the end of the no-objection period, the decision will be deemed adopted. But retreating its steps, China put a hold on the proposal just as the deadline was about to end.