China says it designated Makki a global terrorist 'in recognition of Pakistan's fight against terrorism'

Beijing [China], January 17 (ANI): Even while being virtually forced to designate Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist, the Chinese Government has tonight placated Pakistan by saying that 'this designation is a recognition of Pakistan's staunch fight against terrorism,' according to a statement released by China's Foreign Ministry site.
Responding to a media query over China's decision to lift the hold on designating Lashkar-e-Taiba deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki, Beijing's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, "The individual you mentioned has been convicted and sentenced by Pakistan, and this designation is a sign of recognition of Pakistan's staunch fight against terrorism."
"Terrorism is a common scourge for humanity. As an important international counter-terrorism mechanism, the 1267 Committee of the Security Council is mandated by the UN body's resolution to put terrorists or terrorist organizations on its sanctions list, which is conducive to strengthening international counter-terrorism cooperation and the joint fight against terrorist threats," the statement quoted Wang Wenbin as saying.
Interestingly, China has placed holds to prevent the listing of as many as five Pakistani terrorists including Makki, and now took a complete U-turn.
Earlier, on Tuesday, China finally lifted its 'technical hold' on the designation of Makki as a global terrorist under the 1267 UN Sanctions Committee after the country was left isolated in the Security Council.
"It also needs to be pointed out that the committee has clear guidelines regarding the designation of terrorist organizations and individuals and related procedures. China takes part in the work of the committee in a constructive and responsible manner in strict accordance with these rules and procedures," he further said.
A total of five names were submitted by India for designation under 1267 in 2022: Abdul Rehman Makki (LeT), Abdul Rauf Asghar (Jaish-e-Mohammed, JeM), Sajid Mir (LeT), Shahid Mahmood (LeT), and Talha Saeed (LeT). And each of these five names was initially placed on technical hold by only one member state while all other 14 members of the Council agreed to their listing.
This listing comes after China last year put a 'technical hold' on India's bid to name the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader a global terrorist. In June 2022, India slammed China after it blocked the proposal to list terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki under the Sanctions Committee, also known as the UNSC 1267 Committee.
"On 16 January 2023, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities approved the addition of the entry specified below to its ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2610 (2021) and adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations," the UN said in a statement.
India and the US have already listed Makki as a terrorist under their domestic laws. He has been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalizing youth to violence and planning attacks in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir.
Makki has performed various leadership roles within the LeT, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), while also playing a role in raising funds for LeT operations, according to sources.
In 2020, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court convicted Makki on one count of terrorism financing and sentenced him to prison, acccording to the US State Department.
China had earlier placed hurdles to the listing of known terrorists, particularly from Pakistan. It had repeatedly blocked proposals to designate Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of the Pakistan-based and UN-proscribed terrorist entity, the JeM. (ANI)