New Delhi : Days after China blocked India’s proposal in the UN, the world body’s key member France has pitched for designating Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist, saying there are “very strong arguments in favour” of such a move.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who was on a four-day India visit, also sent out a veiled message to China without naming it, saying “the international community’s determination to combat terrorism must be the same everywhere, regardless of the threat.”
Pointing out that Azhar’s outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad “is already included in the (Sanctions) Committee’s list of terrorist organisations”, he told PTI in an interview, “therefore, there are very strong arguments in favour of listing its chief, as India has requested”.
That’s why, he said, France not only supported but also co-sponsored the Indian request at the UNSC.
India had submitted in February last year a proposal to the 15-member 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council to list Azhar as an international terrorist for masterminding the attack on Pathankot Air base. —PTI
