JeM chief Masood Azhar. (File)The United Kingdom Friday said it was optimistic that Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar will soon be declared a global terrorist by the United Nations as it called for “verifiable” and “irreversible” action against terror groups by Pakistan, reported PTI.
Speaking to reporters, British High Commissioner Sir Dominic Asquith said that the UK was actively involved in bringing down the temperature between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama attack and subsequent developments.
On overall ties with India, Asquith said the UK would like to further intensify relations with India post-Brexit as it was looking for deeper bilateral trade and investment ties.
He told PTI that the UK was keen on a Free Trade Agreement with India and that post-Brexit, his government was going to ease immigration norms for students.
Asked about listing of Azhar as a global terrorist, the British High Commissioner said, “We are waiting to see whether the country (China), which has been resisting it, will lift their hold. We remain optimistic of it happening.”
Last month, China put a technical hold on a fresh proposal to impose a ban on Azhar, the head of Pakistan-based JeM which claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. It was for the fourth time, China blocked Azhar’s listing.
“We are strong supporter of listing of Azhar. We hope there will be conclusion to the issue soon,” Asquith added. The fresh proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the UK and the US, in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
