China on Tuesday blocked a proposal moved by India and the United States at the United Nations to designate Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Sajid Mir, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, as a global terrorist.
The proposal, drafted by the US and co-nominated by India, would have declared him a global terrorist and frozen his assets, along with a travel ban and arms embargo.
In September last year, it was learned that China had blocked a proposal to nominate Mir to the United Nations. Beijing has now blocked the proposal.
Who is Sajid Mir?
Believed to be in his mid-40s, is one of India’s most wanted terrorists and has a USD 5 million bounty on his head by the US for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. In June last year, an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan jailed Mir for over 15 years in a terror-financing case.
Pakistani officials have claimed in the past that Mir had died, but Western countries remained unconvinced and sought proof of his death. The issue became a major stumbling block in the FATF’s assessment of Pakistan’s progress on the action plan late last year.
Mir is a senior member of the Pakistan-based LeT and is wanted for his involvement in the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The US State Department has stated, “Mir was LeT’s operational manager for the attacks, playing a leading role in their planning, preparation and execution.”
Beijing, an all-weather friend of Islamabad, has repeatedly balked at listing Pakistan-based terrorists under the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Committee to blacklist them. The US State Department had said that Mir has been a senior LeT member since around 2001.
From 2006 to 2011, Mir was in charge of LeT’s external operations and planned and directed various terrorist attacks on behalf of the group. Additionally, Meir orchestrated a terrorist attack against a newspaper and its employees in Denmark between 2008 and 2009. For his role in the Mumbai attacks, Mir was indicted in the United States in April 2011.
In August 2012, the US Treasury Department designated Mir as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. As a result of this designation, among other consequences, all property and interests in property of Mir that are subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Mir. goes. According to the information given on the State Department website, “Mir is on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist List.”
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