UNITED NATIONS: The United States, Britain and France have submitted a pro­posal to the United Nat­i­o­ns Security Council (UNSC), asking it to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar.

The 15-nation Security Council has 10 working days to consider the proposal moved by three of its five permanent members on Wednesday. The proposal is the fourth at the United Nations over the last 10 years to list the JeM chief as a global terrorist.

The move is likely to be opposed by China, which previously prevented the Security Council’s Islamic State and Al Qaeda commit­tee from sanctioning Maso­­od Azhar in 2016 and 2017.

If adopted, the proposal will require Pakistan to freeze the funds and other financial assets belonging to Masood Azhar and his org­anisation. India has incre­­ased effo­rts to put Masood Azhar on the UN list of global terro­rists since Feb 14, when the JeM claimed respon­sibility for a car bom­bing in Pul­wa­­ma that killed at least 40 Indian soldiers.

The proposed sanctions include a travel ban and an arms embargo. The arms embargo requires UN-member states to prev­ent the direct or indirect supply, sale and transfer of arms from their territories or by their nationals outside their territories to a desig­nated individual or entity.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2019