France freezes assets of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar to support India's bid to fight terrorism

A joint statement issued by the French interior ministry, finance ministry and foreign ministry added that France would discuss putting Masood Azhar on a European Union list of people suspected of being involved in terrorism.

Masood Azhar (Source: AFP)

  Paris: A day after China blocked the UNSC resolution to declare Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, France has decided to freeze the assets of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) founder and leader Masood Azhar, the French government said on Friday. A joint statement issued by the French interior ministry, finance ministry and foreign ministry added that France would discuss putting Masood Azhar on a European Union list of people suspected of being involved in terrorism. Pakistan is under pressure from global powers to act against groups carrying out attacks in India, including Jaish-e-Mohammed, which claimed responsibility for a February 14 attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama that killed at least 40 CRPF personnel. A joint decree of the Ministries of the Interior, and Economy and Finance was published in the Official Gazette. "A deadly attack took place in Pulwama on 14th February 2019, claiming over 40 victims from the Indian police forces. The Jaish-e-Mohammed, which the United Nations has deemed to be a terrorist organization since 2001, has claimed responsibility for this attack," a French government statement noted. There’s is an attempt made by the European Union, being led by Germany and France to list Azhar as a terrorist under an EU-India list. This would ensure that Azhar will in all practical purposes be a "designated terrorist" in the EU and India.