Three nations United States, United Kingdom and France pushed for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to blacklist Pakistan based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad’s chief Masood Azhar on Wednesday.
The United States circulated a resolution drafted along with United Kingdom and France to the 15 member council that would blacklist terrorist head Masood Azhar. This would subject him to an arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze.
Pakistan based JeM claimed responsibility for the 14th February 2019 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district that killed 40 CRPF personnel.
The United States, UK and France asked the Security Council’s ISIS and al Qaida sanctions committee, which operates by consensus, to blacklist Azhar. However, China vetoed the move two weeks back.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that China “needed more time to consider the proposal”. China has vetoed the proposal twice before this, in 2016 and 2017.
A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by any of the permanent members China, Russia, the United States, France or United Kingdom. It’s still unclear as to when the draft resolution to designate Azhar could be put to a vote.
JeM was blacklisted by the UN Security Council in 2001 after they attacked India’s parliament building.