Terror listings at U.N. blocked without assigning reason challenges common sense, says Jaishankar

“We are trying to get across our message that terrorism is not political. It should not be used as a political tool, its consequences should not be made political”

Amid repeated holds on proposals to designate Pakistan-based terrorists under the U.N. sanctions regime, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that terrorism should not be used as a "political tool" and the idea that something is blocked without assigning a reason challenges common sense.

“We do believe that in any process if any party is taking a decision, they need to be transparent about it. So the idea that something is blocked without assigning a reason, it sort of challenges common sense,” Mr. Jaishankar said as he spoke to a group of Indian journalists here on Saturday after wrapping up the New York leg of his visit to the U.S. with his address to the U.N. General Assembly high-level session.

He was responding to a question by PTI on the issue of repeated holds and blocks on proposals to list Pakistan-based terror group leaders under the U.N. sanctions regime and whether this came up in his talks with his global counterparts as he met them during the high-level General Assembly week.

“It came up in some of my meetings. I also mentioned it in my BRICS intervention,” he said referring to the meeting held Thursday on the margins of the General Assembly between the foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa group - Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franco Franca, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa Naledi Pandor.

China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, has repeatedly put holds on listing proposals by India, the U.S. and other allies to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorists under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions regime of the Council.

Last week, China put a hold on a proposal moved at the United Nations by the U.S. and co-supported by India to designate Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Sajid Mir, wanted for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks, as a global terrorist.

Last month, China put a hold on a proposal by the U.S. and India at the United Nations to blacklist Abdul Rauf Azhar, the brother of Jaish-e Mohammed (JEM) chief Masood Azhar and a senior leader of the Pakistan-based terror organisation. Abdul Rauf Azhar, born in 1974 in Pakistan, was sanctioned by the U.S. in December 2010.