'UK actively pursuing listing JeM chief Masood Azhar under UNSC 1267'

The UK is actively pursuing the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar under United Nations Sanctions Committee (UNSC) 1267, said the British High Commission spokesperson in the national capital on Friday.

"The UK has previously supported the listing of Azhar under UNSCR 1267. We are once again actively pursuing the listing and we are working with other members of the UNSC to help achieve it," news agency ANI reported quoting the spokesperson.

This comes in the wake of Pulwama terror attack which was orchestrated by JeM, a Pakistan based terror outfit, claiming the lives of 40 CRPF personnel on February 14.

On Wednesday, British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith had said the UK and India have suffered from terror attacks but commitments over investments between the two countries should not be affected.

"UK and India have suffered from terrorist attacks. So, what happened in India last week in Kashmir is something that we regret. We send our condolences and we deplore terrorism wherever it takes place. Our commitment with India remains extremely strong," said Asquith, while talking to ANI.

India's attempts to list Azhar at the UNSC have been repeatedly blocked by China at the behest of Pakistan.

France, also a member of the permanent five of the UNSC, has officially announced that it would move a resolution soon in the 1267 committee seeking Azhar's listing. The proposal, when moved, will be fourth such bid at the UN in the past 10 years.

Since 2016, China has consistently blocked moves first by India and later by the US, the UK and France to designate Azhar as a global terrorist by putting repeated technical holds.

In 2009, India moved by itself a proposal to designate Azhar. This was followed in 2016 when India moved the proposal with the P3 - the US, the UK and France in the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar, also the mastermind of the attack on the airbase in Pathankot in January 2016.

In 2017, the P3 nations moved a similar proposal again. However, China always blocked the proposal from being adopted by the UN.

with agency inputs