Trump administration says JeM chief Masood Azhar should be declared a global terrorist

Washington, November 8: The United States on Tuesday said that Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar is a bad guy and should be declared a global terrorist. The statement from United State came after a week when China for the fourth time blocked India’s bid to list Pathankot terror attack mastermind Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN.

 

Notably, the State Department Spokesperson, Heather Nauert during a press conference in Washington said that the United States would like to have Masood Azhar on the United Nation's list of banned terrorists. In a response to a question asked by the reporter, Heather Nauert said, “We certainly think that he is a bad guy. We would like to have him on that list.”

Nauert also said, “There are some committee discussions that are underway over whether to add him or the entity to the sanctions list. That list is confidential under the United Nations, so, unfortunately, I am not going to be able to comment on the deliberations at the UN under that.”

Nauert said, “I’d have to refer you to the Chinese government to explain why they voted the way they did, but we certainly think that this guy is a bad guy.” “We consider the organization to be a foreign terrorist organization under the US law,” Nauert concluded.

BACKGROUND:

China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council by using its veto power blocked India’s bid to list Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN for the fourth time. Earlier, in the month of August this year, China used its veto powers again to gather a 3-month extension until November 2 on Masood Azhar which was backed by the United States, France and UK at the United Nations. But since the hold couldn't be extended any further, China officially blocked the proposal and ended the global move to proscribe Azhar.

China is the only country opposing the designation of Azhar by the Security Council as a terrorist. All other 14 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council were supporting the bid to place Azhar on the sanctions list that would subject him to an assets freeze and travel ban.

Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, his brother Mufti Rauf Asghar and his two other key lieutenants - Shahid Latif and Kashif Jan have led from the front on January 2 Pathankot airbase attack. Importantly, China has repeatedly blocked India, the US and other nations' bid to put a ban on the JeM chief under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UNSC.