Beijing/New York: China today justified its move to block a proposal to blacklist Pakistan-based top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Sajid Mirat at the 1267 Committee of the United Nations Security Council last week.
Mir was involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks and attacks in the United States and Denmark and this has been for the third time in the last three months that China blocked the proposal.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing today that China’s actions at the 1267 Committee “are always consistent with relevant rules and procedures. We will continue to conduct our work in a constructive and responsible manner”.
Claiming that China always takes part in the work of the committee in a “constructive and responsible manner in strict accordance with the rules and procedures”, Ning said the committee has clear guidelines regarding the designation of terrorist organizations and individuals and related procedures. She parried a question on whether there was any timeline that China will withdraw its blockage and remove its opposition to the listing.
India slammed China without naming it and called for the end of the practice of placing holds and blocks on listing requests without giving any justification.
It may be mentioned that India has repeatedly raised the issue of a significant increase in the presence of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant–Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP) in Afghanistan, and the links between groups such as the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed. As the Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, India will host a special session in Mumbai and Delhi on October 28-29, 2022, to highlight the nature of the threat and how to effectively deal with it.
India says it has first-hand experience of a crime syndicate venturing into terrorism and immediately getting State hospitality “in a neighbouring country” despite being listed under the Council 1267 Sanctions Committee. New Delhi further called for effective functioning of the Sanctions Committees that require more transparency and objectivity.
– global bihari bureau
