Dubbing Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar a “bad guy”, the United States is pushing for his designation as a global terrorist.
“We certainly think that he (Azhar) is a bad guy. We would like to have him on that list,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said, while replying to questions on China continuing to block the efforts in the United Nations for such a designation.
Asked about Beijing’s action last week, blocking Azhar’s designation for the fourth time, Nauert said some committee discussions are now underway on whether to add him as an individual or the entity, namely JeM, to the sanctions list.
“That list is confidential under the United Nations, so unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to comment on the deliberations at the United Nations under that,” she said, adding: “I’d have to refer you to the Chinese Government to explain why they voted the way they did, but we certainly think that this guy is a bad guy. We consider the organisation (JeM) to be a foreign terrorist organisation under US law.”
The Pakistan-based Azhar has been accused as the mastermind of several terrorist attacks in India, including one on the Pathankot Air Force Station in January 2016.
Fourteen of the 15 members of the UN Security Council have supported the proposal to bring Azhar under stringent sanctions, including assets freeze and travel ban, but China, using its veto power, has repeatedly thwarted the move.