Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hailed the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council (UNSC). At the same time, he also attacked the opposition accusing them of not celebrating the major diplomatic win for India.
“The listing of Masood Azhar by UNSC is a big victory for India and its diplomacy. Azhar and his organisation had been trying to target India for decades. Azhar could not be declared an international terrorist thrice in the past due to a technical hold. But India’s influence, its diplomatic pressure and recent developments brought together many countries who wanted Azhar to be declared an international terrorist. And China was forced to remove its technical hold,” Jaitley said at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday.
It is a matter of great pride for the country as well as the Narendra Modi government, he added.
Slamming the opposition, Jaitley said, “If India wins, all Indians win, but unfortunately, some friends in opposition feel they may pay a political price if they join the celebration. They had questioned the airstrike on terror strongholds in Balakot and claimed that ‘we also carried out an invisible surgical strike’.”
India was trying for this for a decade and the opposition demeans the country’s victory by calling the listing as insignificant, Jaitley said.
The 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UNSC on Wednesday announced the designation of Azhar, leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), over its ties to Al-Qaeda.
The US, France along with the UK had moved the proposal to designate Azhar as a “global terrorist” in UNSC in February, just days after the deadly Pulwama terror attack.
The JeM has claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers and led to a spike in military tensions between India and Pakistan.
China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UNSC, was the sole hold-out in the 15-nation body on the bid to blacklist Azhar, blocking attempts by placing a “technical hold” and asking for “more time to examine” the proposal.
Agencies
