UN adds JeM chief Masood Azhar to terror list
Azhar will be subject to an assets freeze, global ban and arms embargo.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The United Nations sanctions committee on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) and al-Qaeda on Wednesday added chief of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) Masood Azhar, to its list of global terrorists.
The listing of Maulana Masood Azhar on UN sanctions Committee has been agreed after all political references, including removing of attempts to link it with Pulwama incident and maligning Kashmiris struggle for their right to self-determination, the UN sanctions committee announced in a press release.
Under the decision, Azhar, considered the founder of JeM, will be subject to an assets freeze, global ban and arms embargo.
The sanctions committee accused Azhar of "participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or activities" carried out by JeM.
UN diplomats said the request was again submitted to the committee and China had not opposed the move to blacklist Azhar.
The listing entails a ban on foreign travel, asset freeze, and arms embargo. The listing of Maulana Masood Azhar had been under consideration in the Sanction Committee since 2009.
China had blocked three previous attempts by the sanctions committee to blacklist Azhar and put a technical hold on a fourth request from Britain, France and the United States in March.
Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said that Azhar has been proscribed under Pakistan s anti-terrorism act for some time even before taking up his case by the Sanctions committee.
He said UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee listing is governed by clear rules and is based on strict technical criteria and it takes all decisions through consensus.
Dr Faisal said Pakistan has always advocated the need for respecting these technical rules and regulations and has opposed the politicization of the Sanctions Committee.
The spokesperson said over the last few years, many states, including Pakistan have been concerned at an increasing trend of politicization of this Committee, including attempts to include matters that are unrelated to the technical criteria.
