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China today blocked a joint move by India and the United States in the United Nations to designate Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki as a ‘Global Terrorist’ under the UN Security Council’s ISIS and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee.
Makki is a US-designated terrorist and Hafiz Saeed’s brother-in-law.
According to reports, New Delhi and Washington had submitted a joint petition to the UN Security Council’s 1267 ISIS and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee to designate Makki as a global terrorist, but Beijing put a hold on the move at the last minute.
China has previously imposed pauses and restrictions on attempts by India and its allies to name terrorists located in Pakistan.
A decade after approaching the UN on the subject, India gained a major diplomatic victory in May 2019 when the global body labelled Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Masood Azhar as a “global terrorist.”
China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council with veto power, was the sole holdout in the 15-nation assembly on the proposal to blacklist Masood Azhar, stalling attempts with a “technical hold.” All committee decisions are reached by consensus.
The UN designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Masood Azhar as a “global terrorist” in May 2019, a decade after New Delhi initially sought the UN on the subject.
China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, was the sole holdout in the 15-nation assembly on the proposal to blacklist Masood Azhar, stalling attempts with a “technical hold.” The committee makes all decisions by consensus.
In 2009, India moved a motion to name Masood Azhar on its own. In 2016, India proposed to the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee, together with the P3 – the US, the UK, and France – to blacklist Masood Azhar, the mastermind of the January 2016 attack on the Pathankot air base.
In 2017, the P3 nations advanced a similar idea. However, on each time, China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, prevented India’s motion from being adopted by the sanctions committee.
To maintain international pressure on Masood Azhar to be designated as a global terrorist, the US, supported by France and the United Kingdom, introduced a draught resolution directly in the UN Security Council to blacklist him.
Makki was labelled a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Treasury in November 2010.
As a result of this designation, among other things, all Makki property and interests in property subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US people are typically forbidden from engaging in any transactions with Makki.
“It is also a criminal to knowingly supply, or attempt or conspire to provide, material support or resources to the Foreign Terrorist Organization LeT,” the US added.
The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice programme is offering a reward of up to USD 2 million for information on Makki “also known as Abdulrahman Maki Makki has held numerous positions within Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). He has also helped to raise funding for LeT operations.”
“Makki was convicted and sentenced to prison by a Pakistani anti-terrorist court in 2020 on one count of terrorism financing. The US is still looking for information on Makki because the Pakistani justice system has previously released convicted LeT commanders and operatives “according to the website Rewards for Justice
