Daily Times

The United States has vetoed a joint move by Pakistan and China to designate an Afghanistan-based Indian national as a global terrorist under the 1267 Sanctions List of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), reports said on Wednesday.

In September last year, Islamabad and Beijing had moved a joint proposal, seeking to declare Venumadhav Dongara, a Kabul-based Indian engineer, as an internationally wanted terrorist for supplying weapons, ammunition and explosives to a terrorist group which allegedly attacked the Camp Badaber, an airbase of Pakistan Air Force in Peshawar, in 2015. The move was, however, put on technical hold by Washington, citing ‘lack of evidence’, who, subsequently, vetoed the proposal.

Venumadhav Dongara was one of four Indian nationals that Pakistan had, in 2019, proposed to designate under the United Nations 1267 Sanctions List. The other three were identified as Ajoy Mistry, Gobinda Patnaik and Angara Appaji.

Islamabad expressed disappointment over the US move. “These Indian nationals were financing, sponsoring and organising terrorism inside Pakistan by providing financial, technical and material support to terrorist groups including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jamaatul Ahrar (JuA) and others,” a statement issued by the Foreign Office maintained. It expressed disappointment that Dongara’s name was objected to, but voiced hope that the request regarding the other three Indian nationals will be considered by the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee in an objective and transparent manner.

“Taking advantage of the prolonged conflict in our neighbourhood, India has fomented terrorism inside Pakistan by providing training, financial and material support to terrorist groups to kill innocent people in Pakistan,” the Foreign Office said. “These Indian nationals are now residing in India with impunity which vindicates Pakistan’s position that India is a state-sponsor of terrorism,” it said, and urged the Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council to list three Indian nationals objectively and transparently as terrorists after having been designated by Pakistan for their involvement in financing, sponsoring and organizing terrorism in the country.

Pakistan accused old foe India of funding militant groups, a day after the nuclear-armed neighbours said they would expel half the other’s embassy staff for the first time in nearly two decades. Tuesday’s announcement of planned expulsions followed weeks of accusations and counter-accusations including espionage and the harassment of rival diplomats as relations plummet.

In August 2019, Pakistan suspended almost all trade and transport ties with India after New Delhi revoked autonomy and statehood for the Indian-held Kashmir. With the latest expulsions, relations are now at an all-time low, outside of the three major wars the two countries have fought since independence from colonial power Britain in 1947, said Asif Yasin Malik, a retired general and former defence secretary. “They are as bad as they can be,” he said. “It is possible we will break diplomatic relations altogether,” he added.

Separately, Pakistan on Wednesday strongly condemned multiple missiles and drone attacks towards Riyadh, Najran and Jazan by the Houthi militia. The Foreign Office in a statement said that Pakistan appreciates the successful interception of the missiles and drones, which prevented the loss of innocent lives. “We call for an immediate cessation of these attacks,” the statement said, adding that Pakistan reiterates its full support and solidarity with Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity.