China blocks India & US joint move to list LeT leader as global terrorist at UNSC

|HT|

China has blocked a joint move by India and the US to list Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist at the UN Security Council by placing a “technical hold” on the proposal. The method adopted by China, a close ally of Pakistan, is identical to the steps it took to repeatedly block the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar under the UN Security Council’s Al-Qaeda and ISIL Sanctions Committee, before finally relenting in May 2019 in the face of international pressure.

On June 1, India and the US jointly proposed the listing of Makki, a close aide and brother-in-law of LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, at the UN Security Council. Both countries have already Makki as a terrorist under domestic laws, and the US has offered a bounty of $2 million for him.

The proposal to list Makki under the UN Security Council sanctions regime was circulated to all 15 members of the council’s Al-Qaeda and ISIL Sanctions Committee, also known as the 1267 Committee, under a “no-objection procedure” valid till June 16, people familiar with the development said.

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