The UN on Wednesday added Masood Azhar, the leader of a Pakistan-based militant group, to its list of global terrorists after China lifted its objections to the move.
The UN sanctions committee on the Islamic State and al-Qaeda announced in a news release the designation of Azhar, leader of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), over his ties to al-Qaeda.
JeM has claimed responsibility for the Feb. 14 attack in Pulwama in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 40 Indian troops, and stoked tensions between India and Pakistan.
Considered the founder of JeM, Azhar was hit by an international assets freeze, a ban on global travel and an arms embargo. JeM itself has been on the UN terror list since 2001.
China had blocked three previous attempts at the sanctions committee to blacklist Azhar and in March put a technical hold on a fourth request from Britain, France and the US.
UN diplomats said that the request was again submitted to the committee last week and that China had not opposed the move to blacklist Azhar by the Wednesday deadline.
Any decision to add individuals or groups to the UN terror list is taken by consensus in the committee.
India applauded the move which came after its air force in February carried out air strikes on a JeM camp inside Pakistan.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is campaigning for re-election, on Wednesday told a rally that the decision was “late, but it’s the right thing,” and described it as a “success of India’s long-term fight against terrorism.”
Pakistan stressed that the designation of Azhar had nothing to do with the February attack.
Islamabad has denied any involvement in the suicide bombing, one of the deadliest attacks on Indian security forces.
Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Muhammad Faisal told reporters in Islamabad that it would be “false and baseless” for India to claim that the sanctions on Azhar were a victory.
The decision to blacklist Azhar came after Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) held talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan last week on the sidelines of a summit on the Belt and Road Initiative in Beijing.
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