Islamabad, An embarrassed Pakistan on Wednesday said the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist had been agreed upon after “all political references, including removal of attempts to link it with the terror attack in Pulwama and maligning the struggle of the Kashmiris”.
The United Nations Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee made the declaration after China, which had blocked the proposal four times earlier, lifted its “technical hold” amidst intense pressure from the UNSC’s other permanent members like the US, the UK and France.
“The current listing proposal has been agreed after all political references, including removal of attempts to link it with Pulwama and maligning the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiris for realisation of the right to self-determination,” said Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal.
The action, a huge diplomatic victory for India, will mean that Pakistan-based JeM chief’s assets will be frozen by the UN member countries and his travel will be barred in these nations.
The spokesperson said his country “has always advocated the need for respecting these (UNSC) technical rules and regulations and has opposed politicisation of the Sanctions Committee. However, the earlier proposals to list Masood Azhar failed to generate the requisite consensus in the Sanctions Committee as the information did not meet its technical criteria”.
He said, Pakistan maintained that “terrorism is a menace to the world”.
The Indian media’s attempts “to build a narrative claiming it (the listing) as a ‘victory’ for India and validation of its stance are absolutely false and baseless,” Faisal said.
“Our position is in line with the statements of Prime Minister Imran Khan who clearly stated that there is no space for any proscribed organisation or its affiliates to operate from the Pakistani territory, our resolve for countering terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and our National Action Plan,” he said.
