The United States, Britain and France have proposed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) designate Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist.
If adopted, the proposal will require Pakistan to freeze the funds and other financial assets belonging to Masood Azhar and his organisation. The P3 nations have asked the 15-member Security Council sanctions committee to subject Azhar to an arms embargo and global travel ban also.
The Security Council Sanctions Committee will have 10 working days to consider the fresh proposal submitted by the three members.
The Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammed has carried out a series of terror attacks in India – The 2001 terror attack on the Indian Parliament, the 2016 Pathankot terror attack, the 2016 Uri terror attack, and 2019 Pulwama terror attack to name a few.
In 2016, India submitted a proposal with the P3 – the United States, the United Kingdom and France – in the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Masood Azhar.
This was followed by another move in 2017 when US, UK and France proposed again at the UN Security Council. However, China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UNSC, repeatedly blocked the proposals from being adopted by the Sanctions Committee. So all eyes, this time will be on China.
India's UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin told Reuters on Wednesday: "Our efforts are focused on countering terrorism and we are working with many global partners in pursuit of that objective."
“We were and continue to be engaged with the issue between India and Pakistan. I spent a good deal of time on the phone yesterday talking to leaders in both countries, making sure good information was exchanged, encouraging them to not take action that will escalate and create increased risk,” said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
At least 40 CRPF personnel were killed and many injured on February 14 in one of the deadliest terror attacks when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) bus in Pulwama district.
From US to Russia and Sri Lanka to Nepal, the world condemned the devastating terror attack on Indian CRPF personnel.