NB Explains | China blocks listing of Abdul Rauf Azhar as terrorist at UNSC; Who is Pak-based JeM commander & IC814 plotter-

In yet another example of hypocrisy, China has rejected the listing of Pakistan-based Jaish commander Abdul Rauf Azhar as a terrorist at United Nations Security Council (UNSC). This means this matter has been put out of the ambit of the council. Now, only a fresh proposal can put the listing of Rauf Azhar back on the agenda of the Security Council.

 

A proposal was moved by India, co-sponsored by the US, to list Abdul Rauf Azhar in the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee last year. China had, however, placed a technical hold on the proposal.

 

 

Azhar, the deputy chief of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed and younger brother of its founder Masood Azhar, is known for his involvement in several terrorist attacks, including the hijacking of an Indian Airlines aircraft in 1999, the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001, and the attack on an Indian Air Force base in 2016. He is one of the most wanted people in India.

 

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 is not the first time that China, Pakistan's all-weather friend, obstructed or blocked the listing of terrorists in the 1267 Sanctions Committee. These actions by Beijing have been seen as politicisation of the sanction regime.

 

 

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.

 

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).

 

Shahid Mahmood in October - 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.

 

 

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).

 

Last year, India's external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar criticised China for obstructing the United Nations Security Council's listing of a Pakistan-based terrorist group. Dr Jaishankar emphasised the need for the Security Council to convey a clear and forceful message and emphasised that political considerations should not be used to evade responsibility or enable impunity. Without mentioning China directly, he highlighted that the Security Council has failed to sanction some of the most notorious terrorists in the world due to such political considerations.