The U.S. took the lead in bringing sanctions against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar at the United Nations by circulating a draft resolution among Security Council members.

The move comes weeks after the 1267 Sanctions Committee failed to designate Azhar as a terrorist, after China placed a hold on a listing request that the U.S., the U.K., and France had brought before the Committee.

That listing request the fourth such unsuccessful one in a decade followed the February 14 suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.

Things of Thrust:

• Who is Masood Azhar&Jaish-e-Mohammed?
• Why is China blocking India from banning him at the UN?
• What is UNSC – United Nations Security Council
• Designate ‘global terrorist’ at the UNSC.

Masood Azhar&Jaish-e-Mohammed

Jihadist group led and founded by the notorious Masood Azhar, active in Kashmir. The group’s primary motive is to separate Kashmir from India and merge it into Pakistan. It has carried out several attacks primarily in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It also maintained close relations with Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

• Kandahar Hijack – 1998
• Indian Parliament attack – 2001
• Pathankot airbase – 2016.
• Pulwama attack – 2019

Kandahar Hijack Indian Airlines Flight 814 (IC814) in 1999

Arrested in India : 1994

Release after hijacking : an To draw international media attention, Taliban took the role of mediators between the hijackers and the Indian government. The hijackers demanded release of three militants – Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Maulana Masood Azhar.

United Nation & UNSC

The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of International peace     and security.

The council has 15 members: 5 Permanent – US, UK, Russia, France and China and 10 members elected by the General Assembly for 2-year terms.

Non – Permanent members: 10

Elected members hold their place on the Council for a two-year term, and half of these places are contested each year. To ensure geographical continuity, a certain number of members is allocated for each of the five UN regional groupings.

While other organs of the UN can only make ―recommendations to member states, the Security Council has the power to make binding decisions on member states.

All the members have one vote and permanent members have veto power.

Decisions on procedural matters should have vote of at least 9 of the 15 members

Decision on substantive matters require nine votes and the absence of negative vote by any of the 5 permanent members.

The presidency of the Security Council rotates alphabetically each/ month.

China blocks another move to list Masood Azhar as global terrorist by the UNSC

Why is China supporting Masood Azhar?

• China and Pakistan are believed to be ‘all-weather friends’, and Beijing often views New Delhi as a competitor and, even a threat.
• China holding a grudge against India for giving asylum to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, after China occupied Tibet in 1950.
  

UNSC (United Nations Security Council) 1267 Committee:

Famously called the Al- Qaeda Sanctions Committee, adopted unanimously by the UNSC in 1999.

The council designated Osama Bin Laden and his associates as terrorists.

UNSC established a Sanctions Regime to cover individuals and entities associated with Al- Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden and /or the Taliban wherever located.

Since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the sanctions have been applied to individuals and organizations in all part of the world.

Laws must be passed within each member nation to implement the Sanctions.

No right of appeal against the listing until December 2006.