Mr. Makki was one of five listings of LeT and JeM terrorists blocked by China between June and November last year.
China, which on Monday, January 16, 2023, released a technical hold it had placed last year to finally enable the sanctioning of Lashkar-e-Taiba deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki by the UN Security Council sanctions committee, has praised Pakistan’s counterterrorism record a day after its U-turn.
Beijing, which has since last year placed holds to prevent the listing of as many as five Pakistani terrorists including Makki, went as far as saying the designation by the UNSC ISIL and Al Qaida Sanctions Committee (also referred to as the 1267 Committee after the sanctions resolution adopted in 1999), was “a recognition” of Pakistan’s record in fighting terror.
“Terrorism is the common enemy of humanity. The 1267 Committee is an important international counterterrorism mechanism,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday, when asked about China’s U-turn and lifting of the hold.
“The listing of terrorists or terror organisations is conducive to enhancing international counterterrorism cooperation in response to terrorists threats,” he added. “The relevant people have been convicted and sentenced by Pakistan. The listing also shows Pakistan’s firm combat against terrorism. It is a recognition.”
on Wang Wenbin. File photo | Photo Credit: AP
China, which on Monday, January 16, 2023, released a technical hold it had placed last year to finally enable the sanctioning of Lashkar-e-Taiba deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki by the UN Security Council sanctions committee, has praised Pakistan’s counterterrorism record a day after its U-turn.
Beijing, which has since last year placed holds to prevent the listing of as many as five Pakistani terrorists including Makki, went as far as saying the designation by the UNSC ISIL and Al Qaida Sanctions Committee (also referred to as the 1267 Committee after the sanctions resolution adopted in 1999), was “a recognition” of Pakistan’s record in fighting terror.
“Terrorism is the common enemy of humanity. The 1267 Committee is an important international counterterrorism mechanism,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday, when asked about China’s U-turn and lifting of the hold.
“The listing of terrorists or terror organisations is conducive to enhancing international counterterrorism cooperation in response to terrorists threats,” he added. “The relevant people have been convicted and sentenced by Pakistan. The listing also shows Pakistan’s firm combat against terrorism. It is a recognition.”
Mr. Wang did not say if China would now similarly remove its technical holds to allow for the sanctioning of the four other terrorists from the LeT and Jaish-e-Muhammad (LeT). Asked about those cases, he said “China has always been participating in committees work in a constructive and responsible manner in line with the standards and procedures of the committee.”
Mr. Makki was one of five listings of LeT and JeM terrorists blocked by China between June and November last year. Indian officials have seen China’s actions as shielding its “all-weather” ally Pakistan at the UNSC. Chinese officials have previously said they saw the moves by India, the U.S. and other countries to sanction Pakistani terrorists as targeting its ally.
The 1267 Committee made clear Mr. Makki’s record in raising funds, recruiting and radicalising youth to violence and planning attacks in India. India and the United States have already listed Mr. Makki as a terrorist under national laws.
Source: The Hindu
