India on Friday termed as “most uncalled for” action by China to block a proposal at the UN Security Council (UNSC) to designate Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) deputy chief Abdul Rauf Azhar as a global terrorist.
Making this assertion here, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India will continue to pursue its principled position of bringing the terrorist to justice including through UN Security Council's sanction regime.
"It is unfortunate that when it comes to our collective battle against terrorism, the international community has been unable to speak in one common voice," he said.
“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. Double standards and continuing politicisation have rendered credibility of sanctions committee at an all-time low,” Bagchi said. “There should be no double standards in dealing with terrorists. Practice of placing holds and blocks without giving any justification must end,” he added.
On the “technical” hold by China in the UNSC to block the blacklisting proposal, Bagchi said, "This is an issue our permanent representative made a statement on; flagged the concern categorically. We note with regret that a technical hold has been placed on the listing proposal for Abdul Rauf Asghar."
Rauf, the younger brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar, has been involved in planning and executing numerous terror strikes in India including the hijacking of Indian Airlines aircraft IC814 in 1999, attack on Parliament in 2001 and the targeting of the IAF base in Pathankot in 2016.
This strong reaction by India came after China on Wednesday put a “technical hold” on a joint proposal at the UN Security Council by India and the US to blacklist him. All other 14 member states of the top UN body supported the move.
The Chinese action came less than a month after Beijing blocked a similar joint proposal by India and the US to blacklist Pakistan-based deputy leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Abdul Rehman Makki.
Makki too has been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalising youths to resort to violence and planning and executing attacks in India, including the Mumbai terror strikes.
The proposal to designate Abdul Rauf was moved in the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee and the documents related to it were circulated among all the member nations. China has blocked proposals at least six times in the last one decade to designate Pakistan-based terrorists.