“International community has been unable to speak in one common voice,” says India’s foreign ministry
New Delhi: A day after China halt a joint US-India attempt at the UN to impose sanctions on Abdul Rauf Asghar, the second-in-command of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, India’s foreign ministry expressed regret over the “hold” and vowed to continue pushing for action.
“India will continue pursuing its principled position of bringing these terrorists to justice, including through the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Regime,” said Arindam Bagchi, the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson. “We note with regret that a ‘technical hold’ has been placed on the listing proposal,” he added.
“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 further said.
According to Indian police, Abdul Rauf Asghar is involved in the planning and carrying out of multiple terrorist strikes. Along with the attack on the Indian Parliament (2001) and the Indian Air Force installation in Pathankot, these incidents also include the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC814 (1999), which required India to free his older brother Masood Azhar in order to return the captives to Afghanistan (2016).
The UN Security Council’s permanent member China imposed the technical hold, stating that it needed more time to review the proposal.
China issued a similar suspension on Abdul Rehman Makki, the deputy leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba, two months ago. He is charged with collecting money, enlisting and radicalizing young people to use violence, and plotting strikes in India, including the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
China has already put a technical hold on his brother Masood Azhar’s listing four times over the course of a decade. Finally, sanctions were imposed following the 2019 terror incident in Pulwama.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
