UNITED NATIONS, March 28 - Stepping up the international pressure to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, the US, supported by France and the UK, has directly moved a draft resolution in the UN Security Council to blacklist the Pakistan-based terror group�s chief.
Two weeks after China put a hold on a proposal to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Council, the US on Wednesday circulated the draft resolution to the powerful 15-nation Council to blacklist the leader of the terror group and subject him to a travel ban, an assets freeze and an arms embargo.
UN sources told PTI that this is the �first time� the US, the UK and France have moved a draft resolution directly in the Security Council to designate Azhar.
Unlike a listing proposal, which is generally under a 10-day no objection period, the draft resolution is not under any no-objection provision.
Reacting to Washington�s move, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang in Beijing said: �This is not in line with resolution of the issue through dialogue and negotiations. This has reduced the authority of the Committee as a main anti-terrorism body of the UNSC and this is not conducive to the solidarity and only complicates the issue�.
�We urge the US to act cautiously and avoid forcefully moving forward this draft resolution,� Geng said.
Sources in New York said that the draft resolution will be discussed informally and then it goes to the Council.
However, it is not yet decided by when a vote would be held on the draft resolution, during when it could again face a veto by China, which has in the past blocked bids to blacklist Azhar.
Sources said the draft resolution would condemn �in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly suicide bombing� on February 14 in Jammu and Kashmir�s Pulwama district that killed 40 CRPF personnel.
In New Delhi, sources said, they were aware that a draft has been initiated for consideration of Council members to list Azhar in the sanctions regime as part of international community�s efforts to fight against terrorism.
�It will not be appropriate for us to comment at this stage on a process which is entirely within the parameters of informal discussion of the Council and its members,� a source said. � PTI
