India giving 'final touches' to its UNSC proposal on Masood Azhar

October 01, 2016 07:31 pm | Updated November 09, 2021 02:08 am IST - NEW DELHI:

The Centre claims it has prepared a ‘watertight’ proposal to be submitted to the United Nations committee to put Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar on the list of proscribed terrorists. FILE PHOTO

The Centre claims it has prepared a ‘watertight’ proposal to be submitted to the United Nations committee to put Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar on the list of proscribed terrorists. FILE PHOTO

India was still giving “final touches” to its proposal to put Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar on the list of United Nations proscribed terrorists, when China announced that the “technical hold” to designate him as a terrorist has been extended by another three months.

A senior government official said that China decided to extend the “technical hold” put by it in April this year just hours before the UN sanctions committee was to take up the proposal on Monday. China informed the New York based UN committee of its decision to extend the hold on Friday evening, the last working day of the week. India could not even submit its proposal.

Azhar, a resident of Bahawalpur in Pakistan has been accused by the Indian security agencies of orchestrating several terror attacks here, the latest being the attack at an Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri.

A senior government official said that India would have apprised the 1267 Taliban/Al-Qaeda sanction committee that Azhar has close links to the Taliban and consequently to Al Qaeda.

Apart from Azhar’s involvement in the attack at the Indian Parliament in 2001, the Pathankot airbase attack on January 2, India had also incorporated details about his direct involvement in the September 18 attack at an Army camp in Uri, where 19 Indian Army soldiers were killed.

Azhar also runs a charitable organisation- Al Rehmat Trust as a cover for the activities of his terrorist outfit-the JeM.

“We were going to inform the UN committee that elements of JeM have received training in tactics, use of weapons and psychological warfare from Pakistan,” said a senior home ministry official.

As reported earlier by The Hindu, the home ministry had constituted a three-member committee to expedite the procedures required to place Azhar, former Indian Mujahideen member Shafi Armar, who is now said to be the media chief of Islamic State and Hizbul Mujahidden chief Syed Salahuddin on the United Nations list of proscribed terrorists.

The internal committee was constituted in August and the Uri attacks took place on September 18.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is probing both Pathankot and Uri attacks is learnt to have given crucial points nailing Azhar’s direct role in the terror attacks.

“When we started collating information on Masood Azhar in various terror attacks before the proposal was submitted before the UN committee, the Uri attack happened. We also found evidence to prove that he is involved here also. After we were convinced about his role in the Uri attack, we included the details in our proposal,” said a senior NIA official.

A source said that China had three options. “China extended the technical hold but it could have either converted the hold to a block or allowed the designation (as a terrorist) to go through,” said the source.

Azhar’s younger brother- Abdul Rauf who was directing the Jaish terrorists on phone when they attacked the Pathankot airbase on January 2 this year also features in the list. Rauf’s role in the hijack of IC-814 in 1999, which led to the release of Azhar will also be incorporated.

If an individual is included in the UN list, it will help in restricting their movement, financial penalties and assets freeze among others.

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