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UN places Masood Azhar’s name on list of global terrorists: FO

ISLAMABAD, May 01 (DNA): Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal

on Wednesday said the United Nations had placed the name of Maulana
Masood Azhar on the list of global terrorists.

“The UN Security Council (UNSC) 1267 Committee listed Maulana Masood
Azhar today. This entails a ban on foreign travel, asset freeze and arms
embargo,” Dr Mohammad Faisal said while talking to media in Islamabad.

He said the listing of Maulana Masood Azhar had been under consideration
in the Sanctions Committee for several years, (since 2009). He had been
proscribed under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act for some time, even
before his case for listing was taken up by the Sanctions Committee, he
said.

INDIAN REACTION: 

The 1267 Sanctions Committee’s decision to designate the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Masood Azhar, as a UN proscribed terrorist is a step in the right direction to demonstrate the international community’s resolve to fight against terrorism and its enablers. We welcome the decision. This is in accordance with India’s position and in line with the information that India has shared with the members of the Sanctions Committee regarding terrorist activities of Masood Azhar and the Jaish-e-Mohammad. 

The UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee listing was governed by clear rules
and was based on strict technical criteria, he said.

The Foreign Office spokesperson said, all decisions of the Committee
were taken through consensus. “The Committee procedures allow members to
place technical holds to provide additional time for further discussions
to reach a common understanding on matters under its consideration. Many
members have placed technical holds on various listing proposals,” he
said.

He said Pakistan had always advocated the need for respecting these
technical rules and regulations and had opposed the politicization 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.

Dr Mohammad Faisal these proposals were aimed at maligning Pakistan and
the legitimate struggle of the people of Indian occupied Jammu and
Kashmiri for the realization of the right to self-determination and were
thus rejected by Pakistan, which had always maintained that resolution
of any listing issue should be by consensus, through objective dialogue
and consultations, within the 1267 Committee framework and most
importantly without politicization.

“Over the last few years, many states, including Pakistan have been
concerned at an increasing trend of politicization of this Committee,
including attempts to include matters that are unrelated to the
technical criteria,” he said.

He said in this case as well, Pakistan witnessed politically motivated
attempts manifested through calculated leaks, particularly in the Indian
media, about matters under discussion in the Committee, which were
strictly confidential.






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