China blocks joint India-US proposal to blacklist Pakistani terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki under UNSC sanctions

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, June 17

China on Friday blocked a joint India-US proposal to list Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki under the UN Security Council’s Al-Qaeda (Dae’sh) and ISIL Sanctions Committee, also known as the UNSC 1267 Committee. 

Both India and the US have already listed Makki as a terrorist under their domestic laws.

Abdul Rehman Makki, with links to Mumbai and several attacks in Kashmir, is the head of the Political Affairs of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), a UN proscribed terrorist entity. He also served as head of LeT’s foreign relations department. He is the brother-in-law of LeT/JuD chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who is a UN-proscribed terrorist. 

China placed a “technical hold” on the proposal to list Makki. This measure (which can last for up to six months at a time) blocks the adoption of the listing proposal till the hold is withdrawn. 

“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 sources here who gave this information.

This is not the first time that China has placed hurdles for the listing of known terrorists. In the past, it had repeatedly blocked proposals to designate Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of Pakistan based and UN proscribed terrorist entity, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). 

Makki was reportedly arrested by Pakistan Government in May 2019, and was kept under house arrest in Lahore. In 2020, he was convicted of terrorism financing and was sentenced to prison by a Pakistani court. 

The proposal to list Makki under the UN Security Council sanctions regime was circulated to all member of the Council’s 1267 Committee under a no-objection procedure till June 16.

“China should reflect on its response that signals double standards on combating terrorism. Protecting well known terrorists from sanctioning in this manner will only undermine its credibility and risk exposing even itself more to the growing threat of terrorism,” said the sources.