India on Thursday strongly criticised China's move of blocking bid to blacklist Pakistan-based LeT terrorist and 26/11 accused Sajid Mir. India said that “something is genuinely wrong with the global counter-terrorism architecture”.
Jointly India and US had moved the proposal at United Nations (UN) to blacklist Mir under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council as a global terrorist and subject to an assets freeze, a travel ban and an arms embargo.
"We have righteous reasons to believe that something is genuinely wrong with the global counter-terrorism architecture," said India in a statement.
"If we cannot get established terrorists who have been banned across global landscapes proscribed by the United Nations-for petty geopolitical interests-then we really do NOT have the genuine political will to sincerely fight this challenge of terrorism," said the statement.
While attaching a clip with the statement, India urged the members to listen to the audio, where Mir is giving orders “hunt down foreigners”. “Please listen to this sound file recorded even as the terror attacks were unfolding. This is Sajid Mir-directing the terrorists-on the phone- to hunt down foreigners at the Taj Hotel and them indiscriminately."
"Representing a pluralistic and diverse democracy, which is home to all religions of the world, it is our considered submission that the United Nations Global counter terrorism architecture must treat all religions equally and avoid any selective singling out that tends to elevate one religion over another," said the statement.
Speaking at the United Nations' counter terror meeting, Prakash Gupta, Joint Secretary, UN Political at MEA said the proposal was blocked by China for "petty geopolitical interests".
Who is Sajid Mir
Mir is a senior member of the Pakistan-based LeT and is one of India's most wanted terrorists. He was involved in the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
"Mir was LeT's operations manager for the attacks, playing a leading role in their planning, preparation, and execution,” the US State Department has said.
However, Beijing had repeatedly put on hold listings to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorists under the sanctions committee of the UN Security Council.
For his role in the Mumbai attacks, Mir, believed in his mid 40s, was indicted in the United States in April 2011.
The US State Department had said that Mir has been a senior member of LeT since approximately 2001. From 2006 to 2011, Mir was in charge of LeT's external operations and planned and directed various terrorist attacks on behalf of the group.
In August 2012, the US Department of the Treasury designated Mir as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. As a result of this designation, among other consequences, all property and interests in property of Mir that are subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Mir.
In June last year, Mir was jailed for over 15 years in a terror-financing case by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan.
