US circulates draft resolution at UNSC to blacklist JeM chief Masood Azhar

The US, Britain and France stepped up a push for the United Nations Security Council to blacklist Masood Azhar on Wednesday.

JeM chief Masood Azhar. FILE Photo: AFP

The move was pushed on Wednesday by the US, Britain and France for the UNSC to blacklist the JeM chief

US circulated a resolution-drafted with British and and French support - to the 15-member council that would designate Azhar

The listing would subject him to an arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze

New Delhi: Weeks after China vetoed the blacklisting of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar at United Nations Security Council, a fresh move was pushed on Wednesday by the US, Britain and France for the UNSC to designate the JeM chief, reports said. Two weeks ago, china had put last-minute technical hold before the end of deadline for the resolution against Azhar. The US circulated a resolution-drafted with British and  and French support - to the 15-member council that would designate JeM leader Masood Azhar, subjecting him to an arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze, Reuters reported. Draft resolution's annex says JeM's Azhar is associated with Islamic State or al-Qaida for "participating in financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating" or "supplying, selling or transferring arms and related material" or supporting acts of JeM, the Associated Press said. Jaish-e-Mohammed which is a Pakistan-based terror organisation - proscribed by the United Nations, claimed the responsibility, of the devastating Februrary 14 terror attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama which claimed lives of 40 CRPF troopers. The attack was one of the deadliest ones in recent years after the Uri attack. The aftermath of the Pulwama attack lingered on and led to aerial tensions between India and Pakistan. India carried out preemptive precision strikes at Jaish camp in Pakistan’s Balakot. Following which, Pakistan violated Indian airspace and targeted the military establishments here. India knocked down one of Pakistan’s fighter jets, in the aerial engagement. Following the Pulwama strike, the US, Britain and France initially asked the UNSC’s Islamic State and al Qaeda sanctions committee to black list Azhar. China blocked the move for the fourth time. China has previously blocked three attempts to designate Azhar.  In 2009, India moved a proposal by itself to designate Azhar. In 2016 again India moved the proposal with the P3 - the United States, the United Kingdom and France in the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar, also the mastermind of the attack on the air base in Pathankot in January, 2016.

Published at : 28 Mar 2019 09:45 AM (IST)

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