Why in News

• China said that on designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN, “positive progress” had been made indicating that listing under 1267 sanctions committee

Details

• It will be a big diplomatic win for India, which has been pushing for Azhar’s listing for years. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang also said the problem would be “properly resolved” but did not give any timeline. China put a technical hold on a fresh proposal to ban Masood Azhar, the head of the Pakistan-based Jaish, which claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack.
• It was the fourth time that China had blocked Masood Azhar’s listing as a global terrorist by the UN.
• Diplomatic sources confirmed that Masood Azhar could be placed on the UNSC’s 1267 Committee’s list of sanctioned individuals and entities
• once China formally intimated its decision to lift the hold, which it placed on a proposal initiated by the U.S., the U.K, and France after the Pulwama attack in February this year.

May 1 deadline

• The UNSC 1267 panel last met to discuss the designation of Masood Azhar as a terrorist on April 23, when China and the U.S. disagreed on when the listing would go through, the diplomat said.
• The listing of Masood Azhar, who’s organisation JeM was listed in 2001, has been pending
• for more than a decade.
• This is the fourth attempt by countries at the UNSC and India to bring Azhar under UN sanctions. China had vetoed each of the previous proposals citing it had not received enough evidence against Azhar, who was released in 1999 during the IC-814 hijacking in exchange for hostages
• India shared details of all the evidence on Masood Azhar, including links to the February 14 Pulwama attack for which the JeM had claimed responsibility.
• Pakistan was “willing to discuss the listing”, but rejected evidence of Azhar’s links to the Pulwama attack.

Implications of the listing by the 1267 Sanctions committee

• The 1267 and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee was established under the UNSC resolution 1267. The listing would have resulted in:
• Assets freeze The Asset Freeze mandates all states to freeze without delay the funds and other financial assets or economic resources of designated individuals and entities.
• Travel ban the travel ban implies preventing the entry of designated individuals into or transit by all states through their territories.
• Arms embargo Arms embargo requires all states to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale and transfer from their territories or by their nationals… outside their territories, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, of arms and related material of all types, spare parts, and technical advice, assistance, or training related to military activities, to designated individuals and entities.
• The mandatory restrictions would have severely impacted and curtailed the activities of the Azhar Masood who is the head of the banned outfit JeM and would have forced Pakistan to act against him. Reports also note that China is aiming to maintain the status quo and truce with the JeM by blocking the list in an attempt to secure the China Pakistan Economic Corridor

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967

• UAPA is anti-terrorist law aimed at effective prevention of unlawful activities associations in India.
• Its main objective is to make powers available for dealing with activities directed against integrity and sovereignty of India.
• It bans certain terrorist associations, punishes membership and association with such organizations and punishes terrorist activities.