UNSC foils Pakistan's plot to designate Indians as terrorists; world calls out its design

In a big blow to Pakistan's 'malicious propaganda' against India, the United Nation Security Council blocked a move by Islamabad to get four Indian nationals listed under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee with India asserting that PM Imran Khan's blatant attempt to politicise the UN procedure on terrorism has been thwarted.

'Pakistan's blatant attempt thwarted'

Pakistan had submitted the names of Angara Appaji, Gobinda Patnaik, Ajoy Mistry and Venumadhav Dongara for designation under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council. The UNSC led by the US, UK, France, Germany and Belgium decided to block Pakistan's move after Islamabad failed to produce evidence to back up its allegations.

"Pakistan's blatant attempt to politicize 1267 special procedure on terrorism by giving it a religious colour, has been thwarted by UN Security Council. We thank all those Council members who have blocked Pakistan's designs," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti tweeted.

A request by Pakistan containing names of Mistry and Dongara had been blocked earlier around June/July and another attempt with the remaining two individuals was blocked on Wednesday. In response to the remark by Pakistan that it submitted names of the four Indians to be proscribed under the Sanctions List, India had said the Sanctions List is public and the world can see none of these individuals are in it.

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Pakistan's desperate move

The desperate move by 'Naya' Pakistan is seen as retaliation to India's victory last year in getting Jaish-e-Mohammad founder Masood Azhar listed as a global terrorist by the committee, which focuses on the designation of terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda, Taliban and their affiliates.

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Pakistan has tried to raise the issue of what it claims is India's alleged role in fomenting terrorism on its soil at various UN bodies in recent months, but without any takers for its allegations. It even made a false claim that its envoy to the UN had delivered a statement at a UN Security Council meeting on terrorism but this was later proved to be false.

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(With agency inputs)