In a huge diplomatic win for India, the United Nations on Wednesday designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist him under the Security Council’s Sanctions Committee.
“Big, small, all join together. Masood Azhar designatedas a terrorist in @UN Sanctions list. Grateful to all for their support,”India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations SyedAkbaruddin tweeted.
When asked whether China has lifted the hold, Akbaruddintold PTI that “yes, done.”
China removed its hold on the proposal, which was moved byFrance, UK and the US in the Security Council’s 1267 Al Qaeda SanctionsCommittee in February just days after the Pulwama attack, which left 40paramilitary CRPF men dead. The JeM had claimed the responsibility for theattack.
Masood Azhar, 50, formed the JeM in 2000. He was branded thebrain behind various suicide strikes in India and known to have fine tunedtactics which included survey of potential targets before carrying out theattack.
Azhar’s academy in Balakot faced a blitzkrieg from IndianAir Force jets on 26 February, 2019 after the Pulwama attack.
After the release of Azhar by India on December 31, 1999, inexchange for passengers of a hijacked Indian Airlines plane in 1999, Azharremained active in Pakistan.
“Despite earning a reputation of being a manufacturer ofsuicide attackers, Azhar was not a hard nut to crack when he was in the custodyof Indian forces,” the PTI quoted officials as having said.
Azhar was arrested in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district inFebruary 1994 after he had entered into India on a Portuguese passport throughBangladesh. It was a chance arrest. He along with Sajjad Afghani were travellingin an auto when it was stopped by Army men at Khanabal. “Both ran from the autorickshawprompting the soldiers to nab them. The Army men were happy to find SajjadAfghani and had a little knowledge about the other,” former DirectorGeneral of Sikkim Police Avinash Mohananey, who questioned Azhar many timesduring his two-decade tenure in the Intelligence Bureau, told PTI.
The son of a retired school headmaster from Bhawalpur inPakistan, Azhar always felt his custody in India was going to be short-livedand that attempts would be made for his release.
Attempts were indeed made – the first one within 10 monthsof his arrest when some foreigners were kidnapped from Delhi and the captorsdemanded his release. The plot failed when the Uttar Pradesh and Delhi Policemanaged to get the hostages freed from captivity in Sahranpur. During that raidin Saharanpur, police arrested another militant, Omar Sheikh, who waseventually released along with Azhar in exchange for the passengers of the 1999hijacked flight IC 814.
A tunnel was dug in Kot Balwal jail in 1999 for his escapebut Azhar could not move out. However, in the process, Sajjad Afghani waskilled.
Finally, he was released by the BJP-led NDA government in1999, along with Omar Sheikh and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar in exchange of thepassengers of the hijacked flight IC-814.
The Kathmandu-New Delhi plane was hijacked and taken toKandahar in Afghanistan by Azhar’s men. After the negotiations with hijackersfailed, the government succumbed to their demands and the then External AffairsMinister Jaswant Singh took the trio to Kandahar in a special plane to ensurethe safe release of passengers of the hijacked plane.
The JeM announced its arrival in the Kashmir in 2000 bycarrying out a suicide car bombing attack at the gate of Badamibagh cantonmentin Srinagar, the headquarters of the Army’s 15 Corps. Two armymen were killedin the attack.
Later, it was involved in the attack on Parliament, thePathankot air force base, Army camps in Jammu and Uri, and the latest suicideattack on CRPF in Pulwama.
US hails move, seeks sustained actions from Pak
The US has welcomed the designation of JeM chief MasoodAzhar as a global terrorist by the UN and sought “sustained actions”from Pakistan against terrorism, consistent with its international obligations.
A spokesperson for the US Mission in UN told PTI, “TheUS welcomes the addition of Masood Azhar to the UN 1267 ISIL and al-QaidaSanctions list, which requires all UN member states to implement an assetsfreeze, a travel ban, and an arms embargo against Azhar.”
“We expect all countries to uphold theseobligations,” the spokesperson said, noting that the JeM is a UnitedNations-designated terrorist group, and Azhar, as the founder and leader ofJEM, clearly met the criteria for designation by the world body.”
“We appreciate Pakistani Prime Minister Khan’s statedcommitment that Pakistan, for the sake of its own future, will not allow theoperation of militant and terrorist groups from its territory,” thespokesperson said.
“We are encouraged by the initial steps taken by theGovernment of Pakistan…We look forward to further and sustained actions fromPakistan as outlined in its National Action Plan, and consistent with itsinternational obligations,” the spokesperson said.
Step to show resolve against terror: MEA
Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday welcomed the decision of the UN Security Councils 1267Sanctions Committee to declare the JeM chief Masood Azhar as a globalterrorist, saying it was a “step in the right direction to demonstrate theinternational community’s resolve to fight against terrorism and itsenablers”.
The MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the action is”in accordance with India’s position and in line with the information thatIndia has shared with the members of the Sanctions Committee regardingterrorist activities” of Azhar and the JeM.
“The 1267 Sanctions Committee’s decision to designatethe JeM leader, Masood Azhar, as an UN-proscribed terrorist is a step in theright direction to demonstrate the international community’s resolve to fightagainst terrorism and its enablers,” Kumar said.
“We welcome the decision. This is in accordance withIndia’s position and in line with the information that India has shared withthe members of the Sanctions Committee regarding terrorist activities of MasoodAzhar and the JeM,” he said.
The spokesperson said India will continue with its effortsthrough international forums “to ensure that terrorist organizations andtheir leaders who cause harm to our citizens are brought to justice.”
China had been blocking Azhar’s listing despite a strongpush by the US, UK and France. It had put a “technical hold” on theproposal four times, the latest being in March. PTI
Chronology of events
2009: India moves a proposal by itself to designate Azhar asa global terrorist, a listing that will subject him to global travel ban, assetfreeze and arms embargo. China blocks the move.
2016: India again moves the proposal with the backing of theP3 – the United States, the United Kingdom and France in the UN’s 1267Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar.
2017: The P3 nations move a similar proposal again. China, aveto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, blocks the proposalfrom being adopted.
February 27, 2019: The US, the UK and France move a freshproposal in the UN Security Council to designate Azhar as a global terrorist.
March 13, 2019: China puts the hold on the proposalscuttling yet another attempt to blacklist the JeM chief. The proposal was thefourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a globalterrorist.
March 28, 2019: The US, supported by France and the UK,directly moves a draft resolution in the UN Security Council to blacklist thePakistan-based terror group’s chief.
April 3, 2019: China hits out at the US for threatening touse “all available resources” to designate the JeM chief as a ‘globalterrorist’, saying Washington’s move is complicating the issue and notconducive to peace and stability in South Asia.
April 30, 2019: China says “some progress” hasbeen achieved on designating Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN and hopes thatthe vexed issue will be “properly resolved”.
May 1, 2019: The 1267 Sanctions Committee designates Azharas a global terrorist after China lifts the hold on the proposal of the US, theUK and France. PTI