New York: China formally opposed a UNSC resolution that would have designated Lashkar-e-Taiba commander and suspected 26/11 terrorist Sajid Mir as a global terrorist, defying India's repeated requests to put aside political differences and address the problem of terrorism.
The action happened hours before Modi's arrival in New York to lead the UN's International Day of Yoga celebrations, and it appeared to be planned to coincide with his first state visit to the US. The proposal for a UN ban on Mir, which the US and India had last year but which Beijing had placed on "technical hold," was terminated by China. It also belied hopes of China being more mindful of India’s terror concerns after Beijing lifted a similar hold earlier this year on the sanctioning of another Pakistan-based terrorist and LeT deputy chief, Abdul Rehman Makki, allowing his listing under the UNSC’s ISIL (Da’esh) and Al Qaida Sanctions Committee.
Source stated that “The timing for converting the technical hold into a formal block tells a story. Maybe it’s their (China’s) way of signalling how important they think they are in the UN.” Beijing still had 3 more months to officially block the proposal.
Mir is on India’s most wanted list because of his involvement in the Mumbai attacks. The recording of Mir instructing the 26/11 criminals was shown by Indian officials to the UNSC counterterrorism committee special meeting that India held last year. The US Regards for Justice Program had also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Mir’s arrest and conviction.