UNITED NATIONS/BEIJING, June 17:
China has blocked a joint proposal by India and the US to designate Pakistan-based top LeT militant Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist under the UN sanctions committee, a move Beijing’s claimed were in accordance with the relevant procedures and rules.
Makki, a US-designated terrorist, is the brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
Makki, 74, also known as Abdulrahman Maki, has occupied various leadership roles within LeT, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO). Both India and the US have already listed Makki as a terrorist under their domestic laws.
On June 1, India and the US jointly proposed to list Makki under the UN Security Council’s Al-Qaeda and ISIL Sanctions Committee which is also known as the UNSC 1267 Committee. But, China, a close ally of Pakistan, placed a “technical hold” on the proposal to list Makki and this measure can last for up to six months at a time.
All decisions of the Committee are taken through consensus.
In New Delhi, Government sources said China’s decision runs counter to Beijing’s claim of combating terrorism and signals its “double standards”.
He has been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalising youths to resort to violence and planning attacks in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, they said.
Protecting well-known terrorists from sanctioning will only undermine China’s credibility and “risk exposing” even itself more to the growing threat of terrorism, they said.
“This decision by China is extremely unfortunate given the overwhelming evidence against Makki. Moreover, it runs counter to China’s claims of combating terrorism,” said a source. (PTI)
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