China defended its decision to allow the United Nations to designate anti-India militant leaders as global terrorists, saying the designation would strengthen international cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
Abdul Rehman Makki, 68, serving a prison sentence in Pakistan on terror charges, was added to the U.N. Security Council sanctions list on Monday.
India and the United States jointly proposed its inclusion in June last year, but Pakistan’s close ally China placed a “technical hold” on the proposal. China lifted the hold on Monday.
Enemy of mankind,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said when asked about China’s reversal of position at a regular press conference in Beijing.
It embodies the recognition of Pakistan’s fight against terrorism,” Wang Wenbin pointed out. “As authorized by Security Council resolutions.
Adding terrorists or organizations to the sanctions list is conducive to strengthening international anti-terrorism cooperation and jointly responding to terrorist threats.”
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch (Mumtaz Zahra Baloch) ), responding to Markey’s inclusion on the sanctions list on Tuesday, said Pakistan was a “victim of terrorism and supports” international counterterrorism efforts, including those of the United Nations.
She reiterated Islamabad’s call for “strict adherence” to the Security Council’s listing rules and procedures to “preserve the integrity of the U.N. counterterrorism regime.” But she did not elaborate.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi welcomed the U.N.’s listing of Markey, saying the process was an “effective tool” to curb the threat of terrorist groups in the region.
“India remains committed to a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism,” he said.
Organizations and individuals included in the U.N. Security Council’s ISIL (Da’esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions List will be subject to asset freezes, travel bans, and sanctions such as the arms embargo.
New Delhi blames the Pakistani militant leader for a role in several terror attacks in India, including the Mumbai massacre that killed 166 people. Among the victims were foreigners.
Saeed has denied Indian allegations that he orchestrated the bloodshed in Mumbai.
Pakistani authorities arrested Maki in 2019, and a court sentenced him to six months in prison in 2020 on charges of financing deleted the remains in jail for unclear reasons.
The United States also wants Markey in connection with the Mumbai attacks, and Washington has offered a $2 million reward for his arrest.
New Delhi has long accused Islamabad of harboring and funding militant groups accused of terror attacks on Indian soil and in the Muslim-majority Indian-administered Kashmir region.
Pakistan administers another part of Kashmir. Pakistan denies the allegations, saying they attempt to divert attention from India’s alleged human rights abuses and atrocities in Kashmir.
Since gaining independence from Britain in 1947 India and Pakistan have fought several wars and local conflicts, mainly over Kashmir. The dispute remains at the heart of bilateral tensions.
