Blocking listing proposals in UNSC to sanction terrorists smacks of double-speak: India, in veiled reference to China, Pakistan

United Nations India criticizes China for blocking evidence-based proposals to blacklist global terrorists, calling for UNSC reform.

India has said that blocking evidence-based proposals in the U.N. Security Council to blacklist global terrorists without justification smacks of “double-speak” in dealing with the scourge, a veiled reference to China that has put holds on bids to sanction Pakistan-based terrorists.

“Let us turn to the subsidiary bodies inhabiting a subterranean world, with their own custom-made working methods and obscure practices which do not find any legal basis in the Charter or any of the Council’s resolutions,” India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said.

Ms. Kamboj was referring to the sanctions committee of the U.N. Security Council as she delivered India’s statement at the open debate on March 11 on the Working Methods of the 15-nation U.N. body.

“For instance, while we do get to know of the decisions of these committees on listing, the decisions on rejecting listing requests are not made public. This is indeed a disguised veto, but an even more impervious one that indeed merits a discussion amongst the wider membership,” she said.

Ms. Kamboj highlighted that “genuine, evidence-based listing proposals for globally sanctioned terrorists to be blocked, without giving any due justification, is uncalled for and smacks of double-speak when it comes to the Council’s commitment to tackling the challenge of terrorism.” Ms. Kamboj’s remarks appeared to be a veiled reference to the Council’s permanent and veto-wielding member China that has repeatedly blocked or put technical holds on bids by India and supported by other Council members under the 1267 al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorists.

In June 2023, China blocked a proposal by India and the U.S. to designate Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Sajid Mir, wanted for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks, as a global terrorist under the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the Security Council.

On various occasions in the past, Beijing, an all-weather friend of Islamabad, placed holds and blocks on bids by India to list Pakistan-based terrorists.