India slams China for blocking proposal in UN to label 26/11 accused Sajid Mir as ‘global terrorist’
Sajid Mir is a wanted terrorist who is wanted for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and India's proposal to blacklist him as a global terrorist has been blocked by China at the United Nations.
India has expressed its criticism of China’s decision to block the designation of Sajid Mir, a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, at the UN Security Council. India argues that China’s action demonstrates double standards and a misguided justification of terrorism.
On Tuesday, China obstructed a joint proposal by India and the US to include Mir in the 1267 al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee. This designation would have imposed sanctions such as asset freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo on Mir.
Mir is wanted in India and the US in connection with the 2008 Mumbai attacks, during which he directed the 10-member LeT team that killed 166 people.
India’s response to China’s blocking of the designation of Sajid Mir was conveyed through a statement delivered by joint secretary Prakash Gupta at a counter-terrorism conference at the UN General Assembly.
The full statement of Mr. Gupta, click here
Gupta, without directly mentioning China, expressed India’s concerns about the global counter-terrorism architecture when the proposal to list Mir did not receive the necessary support despite several member states co-sponsoring it.
During his statement, Gupta played a recorded conversation in Urdu where Mir was heard directing terrorists involved in the Mumbai attacks. The recording provided evidence of Mir’s involvement in orchestrating the attacks and his instructions to target foreigners at the Taj Hotel.
India’s external affairs ministry has raised concerns about China’s repeated use of a “technical hold” to block the listing of several Pakistan-based terrorists at the UN Security Council. This includes China’s blocking of the designation of Sajid Mir last year, along with other terrorists such as Shahid Mahmood, Talha Saeed of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Abdul Rauf Asghar of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
