The scene that played out in the UN Security Council seemed eerily familiar- after India and the US brought a joint proposal to designate Rauf Asghar, deputy chief of the Jaish e Mohammad and brother of its chief Masood Azhar, as a global terrorist under UNSC resolution 1267, China placed a technical hold on the listing. In that speech, Ambassador Khamboj hit out at: - China- for blocking terrorist designations - Pakistan- for harbouring terrorists, and for glorifying their acts - Afghanistan- for the Taliban regime’s support to terror groups - even the United Nations Secretariat itself, for not including Indian inputs on these groups in its latest situation report that the UNSG presented. Ruchira Khamboj speech at UNSC: “An effective functioning of the Sanctions Committees requires them to become more transparent, accountable and objective. The practice of placing holds and blocks on listing requests without giving any justification must end. It is most regrettable that genuine and evidence-based listing proposals pertaining to some of the most notorious terrorists in the world are being placed on hold. Double standards and continuing politicization have rendered the credibility of the Sanctions Regime at an all-time low.” Read more