Masood Azhar is now a UN global terrorist: Know what it means

In a huge diplomatic win for India, the United Nations on Wednesday designated Masood Azhar as a "global terrorist" after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief, a decade after New Delhi approached the world body for the first time on the issue.

Indian jets bombed a JeM camp at Balakot in Pakistan on February 26th after the terror group took responsibility for suicide bombing of a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in J&K killing nearly 50 personnel. There are conflicting reports about Azhar, some even claiming that he died in the air strike. Pakistan has said he is being treated for renal failure.

In March, France, the UK & the US had moved a fresh proposal for Azhar's designation as a global terrorist. Russia, another permanent member of the Security Council, backed the proposal. However, China, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council who hold veto powers, had earlier blocked the proposal on technical grounds.


But why was India so keen of getting Azhar designated by the Security Council Sanctions Committee? What happens when the committee designates someone as a global terrorist?

The Sanctions Committee of the UN Nations Security Council was established under Resolution 1267 in 1999, which imposed limited sanctions on the Taliban. Over time, the sanctions regime has evolved to include a lot of measures against designated individuals and entities.

Below are the three main results of sanctions imposed by the committee:

Asset freeze
All member states of the United National are required to freeze without delay the funds and other financial assets or economic resources of designated individuals and entities.

Travel ban
All member states are required to prevent the entry into or transit through their territories by designated individuals.

Arms embargo
All member states are required to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale and transfer from their territories or by their nationals outside their territories, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, of arms and related materiel of all types, spare parts, and technical advice, assistance, or training related to military activities, to designated individuals and entities.

The sanctions committee also oversees the implementation of the sanctions measures and reports annually to the Security Council on the implementation of these measures.

Azhar's designation as a global terrorist will force Pakistan to act against him and individuals and entities associated with him. This will effectively mean total immobilisation of Azhar and shutdown of his organisation and its institutions such as terror camps and madrasas.