The many blockades of the Great Wall in getting Masood Azhar listed as a global terrorist

• Masood Azhar has officially been recognised by the United Nations as a ‘global terrorist’.
• China lifted its ‘temporary hold’ on the proposal spearheaded by the French and backed by the UK and the US.
• The proposal finally made it through after being blocked by China on four separate occasions in the past.

Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar has been listed as a global terrorist by the United Nations — a move that was, till date, blocked by China on four different occasions.


Since India’s neighboring nation is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, it has the power to veto any proposal.

The most recent of which was in February this year when the JeM claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attacks in Kashmir in which over 40 Indian security personnel were killed.

Earlier this week, on Tuesday, China made a statement saying that the issue of designating Azhar a global terrorist by the UN will be “properly resolved,” indicating progress.

And today, it lifted the ‘technical hold’ on the proposal to blacklist under the Security Council’s Sanctions Committee. This means that Azhar is now subject to a travel ban, an arms embargo and his assets will be frozen as per the Charter of the United Nations.

Great Wall blocking Masood Azhar

Masood Azhar is the mastermind behind the Islamic fundamentalist group JeM, which mainly operates in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

New Delhi has been trying to blacklist Azhar for years, having got the support of all the UN’s permanent members except China.

The first time that India proposed the ban, in 2009, JeM had taken responsibility for the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai. China cited “technical reasons” for not supporting the ban.

The second time around, in 2016, India tried to push the proposal forward again when JeM found to be behind the terrorist attack on an Indian air base in Pathankot that resulted in the death of seven security personnel.

This time around Beijing claimed that both countries have “different views” on India’s application to have Azhar recognized as a ‘globally designated terrorist’.


In 2017, China blocked the proposal yet again stating that there was “no consensus” on Azhar’s role in the terror attacks carried out India.

After the current resolution — proposed by the French and backed by the US and the UK — was put on hold by China on March 13.