For the 4th time, China puts hold on listing of Pak-based terrorist; this time LeT leader Shahid Mahmood

New Delhi, Oct 19: In yet another instance, China has put on hold a proposal moved by India and the United States at the United Nations to list Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Shahid Mahmood as a global terrorist. China has blocked Pakistan-based terrorist for the fourth time in the year 2022.

 

 

 

China has put a hold on the proposal to designate Mahmood as a global terrorist under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

 

 

Identified as a senior member of LeT terrorist group, Shahid Mahmood has been a member of the group since 2007. He was designated a global terrorist by the US Treasury Department in December 2016. The department’s press release pointed out that Mahmood claimed that LeT’s primary concern should be attacking India and America.

 

 

Mahmood is a close associate of Sajid Mir, the terror mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and whose designation was also blocked by China in September at the UNSC. As per reports, Mahmood worked for “humanitarian wing” of LeT, the Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) which allegedly raises funds for terrorism under the guise of humanitarian causes.

According to a press release in 2016, Mahmood visited Bangladesh to ‘distribute funds to a Burmese migrant camp’ for facilitating LeT recruitment. The release did not offer any clarity if the members were from refugee Rohingya community, recruited by the LeT to carry out terror attacks.

 

Notably, the government of both India and Bangladesh, have on several earlier occasions, highlighted the risk of radicalisation among the refugee Rohingyas and how immigrants fleeing persecution in Myanmar could be imbibed by terror groups based in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Who were the other terrorists who were blocked by China?

Abdul Rehman Makki in June - He has been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalizing youth to violence, and planning attacks in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. It is pertinent to mention that Makki is the brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

Abdul Rauf Azhar in August - He was involved in the hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight 814 in 1999 and the top commander of Pakistan-based proscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).

Sajid Mir in September - A top Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) Commander and is in charge of the "India Setup" of LeT. It is one of the masterminds of the Mumbai Terror Attack (November 26, 2008). He was responsible for the largest ever overseas LeT terror attack resulting in the death of nationals of several countries including India and Western countries. During the attack, 175 people were killed (18 Police personnel, 122 people, 26 Foreigners and 9 terrorists) and 291 were injured ( 25 Police personnel, 243 people, 22 foreigners and one terrorist Ajmal Kasab).

 

These concerns were raised by both PM Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar. Beijing's decision is extremely unfortunate as it contrasts with its so-called policy of combating terrorism. Notably, this is not the first time that China has placed hurdles for the listing of known terrorists. In the past, it had repeatedly blocked proposals to designate Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of the Pakistan-based and UN-proscribed terrorist entity, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

 

China should reflect on its response that signals double standards in combating terrorism. Protecting well-known terrorists from sanctioning in this manner will only undermine its credibility and risk exposing even itself more to the growing threat of terrorism.