China Blocks Attempts To Blacklist Pak-based 26/11 LeT Handler Sajid Mir

For the third time in the past four months, China has vetoed the blacklisting of Pakistan-based Laskar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant Sajid Mir.

Beijing blocked the US and Indian-led effort to have Mir listed as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council's 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee and subject to asset freezes, travel restrictions, and arms embargoes on Thursday.

Mir is one of India's most sought terrorists and the primary perpetrator of the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks.

According to the US State Department, Mir has been a prominent LeT member since around 2001. He was LeT's operations manager for the attacks, playing a significant role in their planning, preparation, and execution.

Between 2008 and 2009, Mir allegedly planned a terrorist attack on a newspaper and its staff in Denmark. Mir was also charged in the US in April 2011 for his involvement in the Mumbai attacks.

The US Department of Treasury classified Mir as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in August 2012. This classification has a number of effects, including blocking Mir's US-jurisdictional assets and interests in those assets, as well as a general ban on US citizens conducting any business with Mir.

The FBI has listed Mir as one of its most wanted terrorists. According to data on the State Department website, he resides in Pakistan.

Earlier, a US and Indian resolution to blacklist Abdul Rauf Azhar, the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) leader Masood Azhar and a key figure in the Pakistan-based terror group, was put on hold by China. The US imposed sanctions on Pakistani-born Abdul Rauf Azhar in December 2010.

Another joint proposal by India and the US to add terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki to the 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was put on hold by China in June of this year at the last minute.

Makki is the brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba leader and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, a terrorist designated by the US. 

Beijing, an all-weather ally of Islamabad, has repeatedly delayed the blacklisting of terrorists with ties to Pakistan under the UN Security Council's sanctions committee.