New Delhi: In an indirect dig at China over it delaying the blacklisting of a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, as proposed by the US and India at the United Nations, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that politics should not prevent sanctioning of dreaded militants, news agency ANI reported.
Speaking at the UNSC briefing on Ukraine ‘Fight Against Impunity’, Jaishankar said, “Nor indeed to facilitate impunity. Regrettably, we have seen this of late in this very chamber, when it comes to sanctioning some of the world’s most dreaded terrorists.”
“If egregious attacks committed in broad daylight are left unpunished, this council must reflect on the signals we are sending on impunity. There must be consistency if we are to ensure credibility,” he said.
It is to be noted that the remarks of the External Affairs Minister come in the wake of China putting on hold a proposal passed by the US and co-supported by India at the UN, to declare Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Sajid Mir, who is India’s one of the most wanted terrorists, as a global terrorist.
This is the third time in recent months that China has put on hold an India-US proposal to blacklist a terrorist. Earlier, Beijing had given ‘protection’ to Abdul Rehman Makki, a leader of the LeT and JuD, and Abdul Rauf Azhar, brother of JeM founder Masood Azhar.
EAM Jaishankar further talked about the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and said that the need of the hour is to end the conflict and return to the negotiating table.
“The council is the most powerful symbol of diplomacy. It must continue to live up to its purpose,” ANI quoted Jaishankar as saying.
He further referred to the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, where the former said that this is not an era of war.