UNSC RESOLUTION 1267

Prelims level : International Mains level : GS-II Important International Institutions, Agencies and fora their Structure, Mandate
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Why in News?

  • After India’s success in having got Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar designated as a global terrorist, Pakistan in the past two months, with China’s help, is resorting to designate six Indians as Global Terrorists.

The UN Security Council and Sanction Committees:

  • The UNSC has been given the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, and has the power to achieve this objective by adopting a variety of binding measures, including sanctions.
  • Over the years, sanctions measures have evolved to adopt a more “targeted” approach to apply strictly to rogue individuals, organizations and companies.
  • As a result, subsidiary organs with the UNSC known as sanctions committees were set up to consider the listing and delisting of suspect entities, and to monitor and implement sanctions against them.
  • Currently, there are 14 sanctions committees under the UNSC, tasked with various responsibilities such as political settlement of conflicts, nuclear non-proliferation and counter-terrorism.
  • Sanctions committees comprise of all 15 members of the Security Council, and each committee is chaired by a non-permanent member on a rotational basis.
  • Their work is guided by specific mandates, which list out the functions that they have to carry.

ISIL (Da-esh) and Al Qaida sanctions committee

  • It is also known as the 1267 sanctions This committee oversees sanctions measures related to individuals, entities and groups, associated with the aforementioned organizations. The UNSC resolution 1267 was adopted unanimously on October 15, 1999.
  • The committee has presently listed 262 individuals and 83 entities in its sanctions regime.
  • What does these Sanctions imply? – These sanctions would result in travel ban, assets freeze and an arms embargo.

The Case of Masood Azhar:

  • Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar was listed as a designated global terrorist by the UN Security Council 1267 Committee on May 2019.

Why Masood Azhar?

  • Masood Azhar was associated with the Al-Qaeda, by recruiting for them and participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating terror acts.
  • He has played important role in recruiting fighters in Afghanistan.
  • Jaish-e-Mohammad, which was headed by Masood Azhar has itself been sanctioned by the 1267 Committee in 2001.
  • He is the mastermind behind attack on air base in Pathankot in January, 2016.
  • He also claimed responsibility for 2019 Pulwama terror attack on CRPF personnel.

China’s Influence:

  • India first moved a proposal by itself to designate Azhar in 2009 but it did not take off.
  • From 2016 to 2018, India’s proposals to list Azhar, with evidence of JeM involvement in the Pathankot airbase attack, were foiled by China.
  • It placed technical holds on the listing, and then vetoed it.
  • The vetoes came despite the fact that the JeM is banned, and in the UNSC listing it is noted that Azhar, as its leader and founder, accepted funds from Osama bin Laden.
  • China being aware of the evidence against him, was not ready to withdraw its objections.
  • In 2019, P-3 (US, UK and France) moved a fresh proposal to declare Azhar as a global terrorist at UN in wake of the Pulwama terror attack for which Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility.
  • China again put a technical hold on P-3 proposal, and blocked it for the fourth time to designate Azhar.
  • Later in 2019, China lifted its technical hold after it found no objection to listing proposal by US, UK and France.
  • Masood Azhar was finally listed as a designated global terrorist by the UN Security Council 1267 Committee on May 2019.

Pakistan’s Attempt

  • In the past two months, Pakistan, with China’s help, has submitted proposals to designate six Indians as global terrorists.
  • At the same time, it is also trying to get the terror lists involving its nationals and entities reduced by either getting them killed or neutralized in drone attacks.
  • Defence experts believe it to be Pakistan’s intention to malign India’s image worldwide, by getting Indians designated as global terrorists so that it can show to the world that when it comes to global terror, India is no different.
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