India terms China blocking Rauf's listing as international terrorist as 'unfortunate'

India has termedChina's putting a hold on the listing of Pakistan-based terrorists at the United Nations as "unfortunate" and one that smacks of "double speak and double standards". On Wednesday, China put a six-month hold on the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)'s second in command, Abdul Rauf Azhar (Asghar), as United Nations designated international terrorist.

The proposal was moved by India and co-sponsored by the US. China was the only country in the 15-member sanctions committee of the United Nations Security Council to put on hold the listing of Abdul Rauf, who is the younger brother of Masood Azhar. Listing of Rauf would have meant he would be financially sanctioned, and couldn't travel or buy weapons.

Indian government sources said, "Sanctions committee has been prevented from playing its role due to political considerations."Abdul Rauf is among the plotters of the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC814 in 1999, while his terror group has been involved in the Indian Parliament attack in 2001 and the Indian Air Base attack in Pathankot in 2016.

This is the second time this year that China has blocked the listing of a Pakistan-based terrorist. In June 2022, Beijing placed a hold on listing the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki, who has been involved in raising funds, recruiting, and radicalizing youths to resort to violence and planning attacks in India, including the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

Sources said that there was "incontrovertible evidence" for listing both Azhar and Makki. Both have been sanctioned by the US under its domestic legislation and are among the most wanted men in India. As sources explained, "Such politically motivated actions by China, in nearly every listing case of a Pak-based terrorist, undermine the entire sanctity of the working methods of the UNSC Sanctions Committee."

The development comes just a day after India slammed China at the United Nations Security Council for the "practice of placing holds and blocks on listing requests without giving any justification," which the Indian ambassador to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, said, "must end". She pointed out, "It is most regrettable that genuine and evidence-based listing proposals pertaining to some of the most notorious terrorists in the world are being placed on hold," explaining that "double standards and continuing politicisation have rendered the credibility of the Sanctions Regime at an all-time low."

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