Masood Azhar designated as global terrorist in major diplomatic win for India

In a major diplomatic victory for India, the man behind several terror attacks in the country including Pulwama terror attack, Masood Azhar has finally been listed as an international terrorist by the United Nation Security Council's 1267 committee.

China earlier on Wednesday removed its hold on the listing of Masood Azhar, the chief of Pakistan based and United Nations listed terror group.

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Speaking to WION after the listing, India's permanent representative to UN Syed Akbaruddin said, "It's a significant success, this is only the first step to counter-terrorism"

"The US, UK, France & many other countries came out to support India's effort of putting Masood Azhar on sanctioned list. The goal was set out 10 years ago," he added.

Welcoming the development, French foreign ministry in a statement said, "French diplomacy has been relentlessly pleading for sanctioning Mr Azhar, head of the terrorist group responsible, notably, for the Pulwama attack last February."

Calling the decision by United Nations Security Council a "successful realisation" of Franch efforts, the statement said, "France remains mobilised at all levels and all fora to take effective measures against terrorism."

In the aftermath of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack that killed more 40 Indian security personnel, US along with France and UK had moved a proposal for listing of Masood Azhar. But on March 13, the day of the deadline for the listing of Azhar, China had put a hold, citing more time to understand the issue.

Jaish-e-Mohammed had taken the responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack, the deadliest on Indian security forces in the last 20 years.

The proposal was the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist.

In 2009, India had moved a proposal by itself to designate Azhar a terrorist. Again, in 2016 India moved the proposal with the P3 — the United States, the United Kingdom and France — in the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar, also the mastermind of the attack on the airbase in Pathankot in January 2016.

In 2017, the P3 nations moved a similar proposal again.

However, on all occasions, China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, blocked India’s proposal from being adopted by the Sanctions Committee.

Keeping up the international pressure to designate Azhar as a global terrorist, the US, supported by France and the UK, moved a draft resolution directly in the UNSecurity Council to blacklist the Pakistan-based terror organisation’s head.

Listing 20 years after hijacking of IC 814

The listing of Masood Azhar comes 20 years after he was released when Pakistan based terrorist hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 and took it to Taliban controlled Kandahar.

The motive of the hijack was to not only get the release of Azhar but also Mushtaq Ahmed, Omar Sheikh. All 3 found safe houses in Pakistan after the release and in years to follow masterminded many terror attacks in India and the killing of South Asia Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal, Daniel Pearl.

Masood Azhar's JeM is responsible for many terror attacks in the years that followed his release after the Hijacking of IC 814-These were 2001 Indian Parliament attack, 2016 Pathankot attack and 2019 Pulwama attack

Listing a week after Indian foreign secretary was in China

The developments come just one week after Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale visited China and give evidence regarding JeM's involvement in terror attacks in India. During his visit, he met Chinese officials including Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.

A statement from India's external affairs ministry said, "We have shared all pieces of evidence of terrorist activities of Jaish-e-Mohammad and its leader Masood Azhar with China. It is now for the 1267 Sanctions Committee and other authorized bodies of the UN to take a decision on the listing of Masood Azhar. "

The British High Commissioner Sir Dominic Asquith last week speaking to reporters expressed optimism on the listing of Azhar and said, "We are strong supporters of listing of Masood Azhar for a decade. So that we will get to that conclusion shortly."