The media's big question on the absence of any reference to the Pulwama attack in the UNSC listing of JeM chief Masood Azhar as a ‘global terrorist’ has finally been answered.
"The (UNSC) designation is not based on a specific incident but on the basis of evidence which we have shared with the members of the sanctions committee linking Masood Azhar to several acts of terror," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Thursday.
"The Pulwama terror attack definitely played a role in the listing of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist," he added.
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In a big diplomatic win for India, Masood Azhar was designated as a global terrorist by UNSC on Wednesday. Surprisingly, China, which in the past, objected to blacklisting Azhar four times, finally relented and said, "(we) found no objection after a careful study of the revised materials".
With this listing in place, the terror mastermind faces a travel ban and arms embargo. The investigating authorities can also freeze his assets.
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