France said it welcomes the move to designate Pakistan-based Masood Azhar as a global terrorist
Minutes after India's ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin tweeted that Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar has been listed as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council, France in a statement said it welcomes the move that was won after years of efforts by several nations.
"France welcomes the designation today, by the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee, of Masood Azhar on the UN's ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List," the French government said in a statement today.
"For many years now, French diplomacy has been relentlessly pleading for sanctioning Azhar, head of the terrorist group responsible, notably, for the Pulwama attack last February. In application of its Monetary and Financial Code, France had adopted national sanctions against Masood Azhar on 15th March," it said.
"This decision taken at the United Nations Security Council signals the successful realisation of our efforts. France remains mobilised at all levels and all fora to take effective measures against terrorism," the statement said.
China, which had for long blocked India's efforts to get the Pakistan-based head of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed blacklisted, dropped its objections this time.
The Jaish had claimed the suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama in February that killed 40 soldiers.
After his release in exchange of passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines IC-814 flight in 1999 by the then BJP government, Masood Azhar went on to form Jaish-e-Mohammed and ordered many terror strikes in India, including on Parliament House, Pathankot Air Force base, Army camps in Jammu and Kashmir, including the Pulwama bombing.