China puts hold on listing of Pak-based JeM commander and IC814 plotter Abdul Rauf Azhar

New Delhi, Aug 11: At the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), China on Wednesday put a hold on the listing of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Abdul Rauf Azhar as a United Nations designated international terrorist.

 

It is pertinent to mention that India and the United States had proposed the listing of Azhar who was involved in the hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight 814 in 1999. Though all other 14 members agreed to impose sanctions on the top commander of Pakistan-based proscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), only China, a close ally of Pakistan stood out by coming to the defence of a terrorist and placing a hold on the proposal.

 

 

Abdul Rauf Azhar is the younger brother of Masood Azhar and is one of the most wanted persons in India. India and the United States wanted Azhar to be designated as an international terrorist and be subjected to a global travel ban and freezing of his assets, a proposal that would need to be agreed upon by all members of the 15-nation UNSC body but China delayed the move by putting a hold on it.

 

 

This came a day after India slammed China indirectly at the United Nations Security Council on the "practice of placing holds and blocks on listing requests without giving any justification must end," the Indian ambassador to UN Ruchira Kamboj said. She pointed out, "it is most regrettable that genuine and evidence-based listing proposals pertaining to some of the most notorious terrorists in the world are being placed on hold", explaining that "double standards and continuing politicization have rendered the credibility of the sanctions regime at an all-time low."

 

 

Moreover, it is the second time China has put a hold on the listing of a Pakistan-based terrorist as an international terrorist. It had blocked a joint proposal by India and the US to list Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist.Makki is the brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed. However, China placed a "technical hold" on the proposal to list Makki.

 

China has repeatedly placed hurdles for the listing of known terrorists. In the past, it had repeatedly blocked proposals to designate Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of Pakistan-based and UN-proscribed terrorist entity, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).