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India has criticised China for blocking the listing of a Pakistani terrorist, Sajid Mir, as a global terrorist at the United Nations. India called China’s actions driven by petty geopolitical interests and questioned the global counterterrorism architecture. The proposal, co-sponsored by India and the US, sought to designate Mir, a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, as a global terrorist for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
“If we cannot get established terrorists who have been banned across global landscapes proscribed by the United Nations – for petty geopolitical interests – then we really do not have the genuine political will to sincerely fight this challenge of terrorism,” said India in a sharp statement.
China’s blocking of the proposal prevented Mir from being subjected to measures such as asset freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo. Mir is considered one of India’s most-wanted terrorists, and the US has a $5 million bounty on his head. Despite Pakistan claiming in the past that Mir had died, Western countries remained skeptical and demanded evidence.
China’s repeated protection of Pakistan-based terrorists from being blacklisted at the UN Security Council’s sanctions committee has raised concerns. Beijing has previously blocked attempts to designate Abdul Rehman Makki, deputy chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Masood Azhar, the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, as global terrorists. China has also thwarted India’s efforts to hold Pakistan accountable for releasing the mastermind of the 26/11 attacks, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
These actions have strained the relationship between India and China, with India questioning the genuine political will to combat terrorism if established terrorists cannot be proscribed due to geopolitical interests. India’s mission at the UN expressed its concerns about the global counterterrorism architecture, indicating a need for reforms to address such challenges.
