India to seek UN sanction against Jaish chief

India will soon make a fresh move at the United Nations to seek international sanctions on terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed’s founder Moulana Masood Azhar, whom it suspects to be the mastermind of the January 1-4 terror attacks on the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in Punjab.

India’s earlier attempts at international organization to seek sanctions on Masood Azhar were blocked by China, one of the five permanent members of United Nations Security Council, ostensibly at the behest of Pakistan.     

New Delhi also on February 18 last submitted a list of 11 individuals and an organization to the United Nations 1267/1989/2253 ISIL (Da’esh) and Al Qaida Sanctions Committee, seeking sanctions on them, External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, informed the Lok Sabha in response to a query.

“We will be moving to 1267 Sanctions Committee to also include the name of Masood Azhar on the sanctions list. It is a great anomaly that the organisation JeM is listed, but not its leader,” Vikas Swarup, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said.