The Foreign Office said Wednesday that Pakistan will immediately enforce the UN Security Council's sanctions on Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar following the UN body formally added him to its ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List, agreed after removal of political references - linking it with the Pulwama attack and maligning the Kashmiris' struggle.
Briefing media persons on Pakistan's perspective on the issue soon after United Nations Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee on Wednesday placed Azhar on its sanctions list, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said that Pakistan is a responsible state and it will immediately enforce the sanctions on the JeM chief.
"This entails a ban on foreign travel, asset freeze and arms embargo", he said, adding that the listing of Masood Azhar had been under consideration in the Sanctions Committee for several years, since 2009.
He said that current listing proposal has been agreed after all political references, including removal of attempts to link it with the Pulwama attack and maligning the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiris in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir for realization of the right to self-determination.
The UN move comes after China dropped its objection and the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities approved the addition Masood Azhar to its ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2368 (2017) and adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.
"Our position is in line with the statements of Prime Minister Khan who clearly stated that there is no space for any proscribed organization or its affiliates to operate from Pakistani territory, our resolve for countering terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and our National Action Plan (NAP)", Dr Faisal said.
He said that the government of Pakistan, has since January 2019, accelerated the implementation of the NAP against terrorism and extremism. The Plan inter alia includes a range of actions against UN proscribed entities and individuals, he said. Notwithstanding the challenges, progress is being made and further work will continue in line with national consensus and interest, he added.
Dr Faisal said that the JeM chief has been proscribed under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act for some time, even before his case for listing was taken up by the Sanctions Committee.
He asserted that the UNSC 1267 Sanctions committee listing is governed by clear rules and is based on strict technical criteria, adding that all decisions of the Committee are taken through consensus.
He stated that the committee procedures allow members to place technical holds to provide additional time for further discussions to reach a common understanding on matters under its consideration.
The spokesperson pointed out that many members have placed technical holds on various listing proposals, adding that Pakistan has always advocated the need for respecting these technical rules and regulations and has opposed the politicization of the Sanctions Committee.
However, the earlier proposals to list Masood Azhar failed to generate the requisite consensus in the Sanctions Committee as the information did not meet its technical criteria, he added.
"These proposals were aimed at maligning Pakistan and the legitimate struggle of the people of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir for the realization of the right to self-determination and were thus rejected by Pakistan, which has always maintained that resolution of any listing issue should be by consensus, through objective dialogue and consultations, within the 1267 Committee framework and most importantly without politicization", he further explained.
Over the last few years, he added that many states, including Pakistan, have been concerned at an increasing trend of politicization of the committee, including attempts to include matters that are unrelated to the technical criteria.
"In this case as well we witnessed politically motivated attempts manifested through calculated leaks, particularly in the Indian media, about matters under discussion in the committee, which are strictly confidential", he added.
He said that the current listing proposal has been agreed after all political references, including removal of attempts to link it with Pulwama and maligning the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiris in IOK for realization of the right to self-determination.
"Pakistan maintains that terrorism is a menace to the world. This includes the Indian state sponsored terrorism against innocent Kashmiris in IOK, including the inhuman use of pellet guns and human shields which finds no parallel in the civilized world", he added. He pointed out that Indian occupation forces continue to massacre Kashmiris enjoying judicial immunity with impunity through draconian laws.
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