China blocks India-US move to list LeT's Shahid Mahmood as 'global terrorist'
New York (US), October 19: For the fourth time, China has blocked a proposal put up by India and supported by the US at the United Nations to designate Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba member Shahid Mahmood as a "global terrorist."
On Wednesday, the United States and India proposed that Mahmood be designated as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council's 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee. It is the fourth time that China has blocked an India-US proposal in recent months, following the shielding of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Sajid Mir, LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) leader Abdul Rehman Makki, and Abdul Rauf Azhar, the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM) chief Masood Azhar.
Earlier last month, China blocked a move to designate Sajid Mir as a "global terrorist." Mir is a major Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) leader in charge of the LeT's "India Setup."
Sajid Mir is one of the masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. He was responsible for the deadliest overseas LeT terror attack in history, killing nationals from numerous nations, including India and Western countries.
Shahid Mahmood is the vice chairman of the Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), the LeT's humanitarian and fundraising arm. FIF was designated as LeT's alias.
Mahmood was the FIF leader in Karachi in 2014. According to the US Department of Treasury, Mahmood was recognised as a member of the LeT publications wing in August 2013.
While in charge of the Sindh, Pakistan branch of FIF, Mahmood led a LeT group to Burma in August 2012, then in mid-2014, he travelled to Syria and Turkey and was later appointed to lead FIF efforts in both countries. Mahmood has also served FIF in Bangladesh and Gaza.
Mahmood previously worked on LeT's overseas operations team, which was led by Sajid Mir. Furthermore, Mahmood was directed in August 2013 to establish covert links with Islamic organisations in Bangladesh and Burma, and as recently as late 2011, Mahmood stated that LeT's major focus should be attacking India and America.
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According to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) named two of the LeT's senior leaders, Muhammad Sarwar (Sarwar) and Shahid Mahmood (Mahmood), as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) in 2016.
Sarwar and Mahmood have been charged with acting for or on behalf of the LeT, a Pakistan-based terrorist organisation. All of Sarwar and Mahmood's property and interests in property subject to US jurisdiction are now frozen, and US persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them.
The US Department of State designated LeT as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in line with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, and as an SDGT in accordance with E.O. 13224 in December 2001. In May 2005, the LeT was added to the UN 1267/1989 Committee's Consolidated List, a list of sanctioned terrorists.
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-PTC News
