The United Nations on Wednesday designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist after China lifted its technical hold on his listing under the UNSC 1267 sanctions committee.
The designation will subject Azhar to an assets freeze, travel ban and an arms embargo. The JeM has already been designated as a terror outfit by the United Nations.
“Big, small, all join together. Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist in UN sanctions list. Grateful to all for their support,” India’s Ambassador to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin tweeted.
Big,small, all join together.
Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist in @UN Sanctions list
Grateful to all for their support. 🙏🏽#Zerotolerance4Terrorism
— Syed Akbaruddin (@AkbaruddinIndia) May 1, 2019
Earlier, reports had said that China was expected to lift its hold on blacklisting Masood Azhar at a UN sanctions committee on May 1.
On Sunday, Pakistan has said that they are ‘open to the listing’ of Jaish Chief Masood Azhar as long as he is not related to the Pulwama attack, reported the News 18.
According to the report, the statement was given by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal on a Pakistani TV show, Islamabad Views, on Sunday.
“(India should) give evidence that Masood Azhar had anything to do with the attack in Pulwama. If that is not the case, then we can discuss the listing. It is not a big issue,” Faisal said. Stating that the Pulwama attack was a separate issue, Faisal said that his country had said, several times, that India was trying to “suppress” the indigenous uprising in Jammu and Kashmir.
Recently, China told the United States to hold its resolution on Masood Azhar, saying that the matter was ‘moving in direction of settlement’.
