India slams use of ‘hidden veto’ in sanctioning terrorists

Akbaruddin says U.N.’s general members "are never ever" informed of the reason for not acceding to such requests.

The remarks of India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Syed Akbaruddin slamming the use of 'hidden veto' come against the backdrop of China once again blocking a bid by India to ban Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar following January’s terror attack on the Pathankot airbase.

India on Friday slammed the use of the “hidden veto” and demanded accountability, saying the United Nations general members “are never ever” informed of the reason for not acceding to requests for sanctioning terrorists, days after China blocked India’s bid to ban Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar.

India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Syed Akbaruddin has strongly criticised the “anonymity” surrounding the functioning of the U.N. Security Council’s al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee, saying the general U.N. membership is kept in the dark of how the council’s 15 members decide on requests made by other nations to sanction terrorists.

“Need to revisit anonymity of outfits”

“The procedures of unanimity and anonymity of the al-Qaeda, Taliban and ISIS Sanctions Committees need to be revisited. Currently, they result in a lack of accountability,” Mr. Akbaruddin told the Security Council in an open debate on ‘Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts’ here.

Mr. Akbaruddin said each of the 15 members in the committee now have a veto.

Tacit allusion to China

Without naming China, he said none except these 15 members are told of who is it that has wielded the veto in a specific instance.

“The general membership of the U.N. is never ever formally informed of how and why requests for listing terrorists are not acceded to. Counter-terror mechanisms such as the Sanctions Committees that act on behalf of the international community need to build trust not engender impunity by the use of this form of a ‘hidden veto’,” Mr. Akbaruddin said.

The sanctions committees needed to foster tangible support for greater responsiveness to member-states’ requests for preventive listings to counter terror. “They also need to follow up complaints against violations by listed individuals and entities more vigorously,” he said.

After China stymied India’s bid

Mr. Akbaruddin remarks come against the backdrop of China once again blocking a bid by India to ban Azhar following January’s terror attack on the Pathankot airbase.

China had at the last moment stopped the U.N. sanctions committee from designating Azhar as a terrorist, maintaining that the case “did not meet Security Council’s requirements.”

It was not the first time China blocked India’s bid to get Pakistan-based terror groups and leaders proscribed by the U.N.

The U.N. had banned the Jaish-e-Mohammed in 2001 but India’s efforts to slap sanctions on Azhar after the 2008 Mumbai attack also did not fructify, as the veto-wielding China did not let the request go through, apparently at Pakistan’s behest.