Pakistan issues order to freeze assets of Masood Azhar, impose travel ban

International News

Pakistan has issued an official order to freeze the assets and impose travel ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar after the United Nations declared him a "global terrorist".

In a notification issued Wednesday, the foreign ministry said, "the Federal Government is pleased to order that the Resolution 2368 (2017) be fully implemented" against Azhar.

The government directed officials to take actions "as appropriate for the implementation of sanctions" against the JeM chief, according to the notification.

Azhar is also banned from selling or purchasing arms and ammunition.

In a major diplomatic win for India, the United Nations designated Pakistan-based Azhar as a "global terrorist" after China lifted its hold on a proposal by the US, the UK and France to blacklist him.
The US, the UK and France had moved the proposal to designate Azhar as a "global terrorist" in the UN Security Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee in February, just days after the deadly Pulwama terror attack carried out by the JeM in Jammu and Kashmir.


 Pakistan foreign office spokesman Mohammad Faisal on Wednesday said that Pakistan would "immediately enforce the sanctions" imposed on Azhar.

China says 'positive progress' made to resolve issue of Azhar's UN listing

International News
China on Monday claimed that "positive progress" has been made to resolve the issue of designating Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN and accused the US of scuttling its efforts by taking the matter directly to the Security Council.

China last week defended its repeated attempts to block the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Azhar as a global terrorist and refuted the US allegation that Beijing's action amounted to protecting violent Islamic groups from sanctions.

China criticised the US move for directly taking the issue of listing Azhar as global terrorists to UN Security Council after Beijing put a technical hold on the US, UK and French resolution earlier to declare him as a global terrorist in the UN's 1267 committee dealing with counter-terrorism issues.
"After the application for designation of Azhar was proposed (in the 1267 committee), China is in close communication and coordination with various parties and made positive progress. The US knows that very well," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing here on Monday.

Asked to clarify whether the progress he meant was to resolve the vexed issue of listing Azhar, Geng said "yes. The US knows that very well". He, however, did not elaborate.China has so far blocked the move four times in recent years.


  It recently blocked the US, UK and France resolution in the counter terrorism 1267 committee with "technical hold" saying that it provides time and space for the relevant parties to hold talks after the Pulwama terrorist attack.Following this, the US directly moved a resolution in the UN Security Council last week to blacklist Azhar which China said amounted to undermining the 1267 Committee...Read More