FO: UN places Masood Azhar on sanctions list

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday said Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) leader Maulana Masood Azhar had been placed on the sanctions list by the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) Sanction Committee 1267 that entailed a ban on his foreign travel, asset freeze and arms embargo. 

FO Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal told a press conference here that listing of Maulana Masood Azhar had been under consideration in the Sanctions Committee since 2009.

He had been proscribed under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act for some time even before his case for listing was taken up by the Sanctions Committee. 

He said Pakistan always advocated the need for respecting technical rules and regulations, and opposed the politicization of the Sanctions Committee.

He said the earlier proposals to list Masood Azhar failed to generate the requisite consensus in the Sanctions Committee as the information did not meet its technical criteria.

Those proposals were aimed at maligning Pakistan and the legitimate struggle of the people of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmiri (IoK) for the realization of the right to self-determination and Pakistan rejected them, he added.

Dr Faisal said politically motivated attempts were witnessed and manifested through calculated leaks, particularly in the Indian media about matters under discussion in the committee, which were strictly confidential.

He said the current listing proposal had been agreed after all political references, including removal of attempts to link it with the Pulwama (incident) and maligning the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiris in the IoK for realization of the right to self-determination. 

Pakistan, he said, maintained that terrorism was a menace to the world that also included the Indian state sponsored terrorism against innocent Kashmiris in the IoK, including the inhuman use of pellet guns and human shields which found no parallel in the civilized world.

He said the Indian occupation forces continued to massacre Kashmiris and enjoying judicial immunity with impunity through draconian laws.

Pakistan, he affirmed, would continue to provide diplomatic, political and moral support to the Kashmiri brethren. 

He rejected the Indian media’s attempts to build a narrative claiming sanctions as a victory for India and validation of its stance. 

Prime Minister Imran Khan had clearly stated that there was no space for any proscribed organization or its affiliates to operate from the Pakistani territory, he added.