After China’s block on ban on Azhar, UNSC vote under consideration
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members, including the US, may bring a resolution asking for a UNSC vote to designate Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
US diplomats, following China’s fourth blocking of the 1267 resolution, are of the view that Washington may be forced to pursue other actions at the UNSC if Beijing continued with this policy.
A UNSC vote will not have the teeth of a resolution under the 1267 Sanctions Committee, which would have resulted in a travel ban on Azhar and a freezing of his assets. However officials stated that a UNSC vote designating the JeM chief a terrorist will have a “significant naming and shaming effect”.
But, China, as a permanent member of UNSC, can object to such a proposal as well.
More than 10 countries had supported India’s bid to designate JeM Chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist in the United Nations Security Council 1267 list, as co-sponsors.
“We are disappointed by this outcome. This has prevented action by the international community to designate the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a proscribed and active terrorist organization which has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 14 February 2019,” the Ministry of External Affairs had said in response to China’s action.
“We are grateful for the efforts of the Member States who moved the designation proposal and the unprecedented number of all other Security Council members as well as non-members who joined as co-sponsors. We will continue to pursue all available avenues to ensure that terrorist leaders who are involved in heinous attacks on our citizens are brought to justice,” the MEA statement continued.
China blocked ban on Masood Azhar to be designated as global terrorist for the fourth time in UNSC on Wednesday. If put under under the United Nations terror list, Masood will face a global travel ban and his assets will be frozen.
