The United Nations (UN) on May 1 designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) ‘chief’, Masood Azhar as a ‘global terrorist’ after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist him, reports Daily Excelsior. The UN Committee listed Azhar on May 1, 2019 as being associated with Al-Qaeda for “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of”, “supplying, selling or transferring arms and related material to”, “recruiting for”, “otherwise supporting acts or activities of”, and “other acts or activities indicating association with” the JeM. However, there was no mention of the deadly February 14 Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which was claimed by the JeM.
A United Nations Security Council (UNSC) designation will subject Azhar to an assets freeze, travel ban and an arms embargo. An assets freeze under the sanctions committee requires that all states freeze without delay the funds and other financial assets or economic resources of designated individuals and entities
“Big, small, all join together. Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist in @UN Sanctions list. Grateful to all for their support,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin tweeted. “This is for us a significant outcome because we have been at it for several years. The first effort that we made in this regard was in 2009. More recently, we have been persistent, diligent and in a subterranean manner making all our efforts towards this goal. Today that goal stands achieved,” Akbaruddin said. “All in all it’s been a happy day, a good day for all this who would like to pursue the approach of zero tolerance for terrorism,” he said.