India - China: China Blocks Listing Let Leader Shahid Mahmood as Global Terrorist

STORIES, ANALYSES, EXPERT VIEWS

India - China: China Blocks Listing Let Leader Shahid Mahmood as Global Terrorist

China has once again put on hold  on a proposal by India and the United States at the United Nations to list Pakistan-based Lashkaar-e-Taiba leader Shahid Mahmood as a global terrorist.

This is the fourth time in as many months that China has put a hold on listing proposals to designate Pakistan-based terrorists under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee regime.

The U.S. Treasury Department designated Mahmood a global terrorist in December 2016.

 

The 1267 committee procedure

The 1267 committee that was set up in 1999 (updated in 2011 and 2015) allows any UN member state to propose adding the name of a terrorist or terror group to a consolidated list, maintained by the Committee, that has affiliations to Al Qaeda and ISIS. India has successfully proposed the listing of several terror entities in the past two decades, including Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba. According to the rules, once a listing is proposed, it will be adopted into the list according to a ‘no-objections’ procedure: which means, if any member of the Committee, which comprises all members of the UN Security Council, places a hold on the listing or objects outright to it, the listing cannot be adopted. As a permanent member of the UNSC, China can do this any number of times as its term doesn’t run out, and it carries a veto vote.

Since 2001, China has placed holds on a number of listing proposals relating mainly to Pakistan-based groups and their leaders, given the close bilateral ties between the two countries. Most notable was China’s objections to the listing of JeM founder Masood Azhar.  Even after the Parliament attack and the Mumbai 26/11 attacks, China kept placing a hold on the UNSC terror listing proposals for him: in 2009, 2010, 2016-18, claiming it had ‘inadequate information’ on his  terror activities

 

Pakistan’s obligations

Since the Mumbai attacks in 2008, Suhasini Haidar (National Editor and Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The Hindu) writes “India has tried a number of different ways to build international consensus on cross-border terrorism, and the UNSC terror listings have been one such route. While China has blocked many of the listings, there are hundreds of names of terrorists and entities in Pakistan that pose a threat to India. As a UN member state, Pakistan has an obligation under the sanctions to block access for all designated entities to funds, arms and travel outside its jurisdiction.”

This is something India has also pursued with the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, where Pakistan was placed on a 'grey list’ due to its inability to curb terror financing and money laundering from 2012-2015 and 2018-2022. While Pakistan is likely to be taken off that list this week, it has had to carry out several actions against terror entities on its soil, and will continue to be under scrutiny.

 

PM Inaugurates New Airbase Near India-Pakistan Border

Inaugurating  the Defence Expo 2022 in Gandhinagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday laid the foundation stone of a new airbase at Deesa and said the new airbase will emerge as an effective centre for the country's security. Gujarat will become a centre of defence in India and will play a crucial role in India's security. "I was seeing on the screen that the people of Deesa were excited over the construction of the new airfield. This airfield will play a major role. Deesa is only 130km away from the International Border. If our forces, especially our airforces, remain in Deesa, then we will be able to give better response to any threat coming from the Western side," PM Modi said in his address at Deesa.


All Neighbours Article