India on Wednesday ripped into China after it blocked a proposal at the United Nations (tabled jointly with the United States) to label Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Sajid Mir - wanted for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks - a 'global terrorist'. In a sharply-worded response to China's move at a high-level conference, India said it had 'righteous reasons to believe something is genuinely wrong with the global counter-terrorism architecture'.
"If we cannot get established terrorists, who have been banned across global landscapes, proscribed by the United Nations - for petty geopolitical interests - then we really do NOT have the genuine political will to sincerely fight this challenge…" India said in a strongly-worded speech that did not mention China.
"Ten fully armed assailants from across our borders... descended on our shores and wreaked havoc over three days... resulted in 166 innocents being killed, including 26 foreign nationals," India said, noting that the UN Security Council - the global organisation's highest decision-making body - had visited Mumbai in October last year and paid 'collective homage at the site of the attacks... but regretfully justice continues to elude the victims...'
{{/usCountry}}"Ten fully armed assailants from across our borders... descended on our shores and wreaked havoc over three days... resulted in 166 innocents being killed, including 26 foreign nationals," India said, noting that the UN Security Council - the global organisation's highest decision-making body - had visited Mumbai in October last year and paid 'collective homage at the site of the attacks... but regretfully justice continues to elude the victims...'
{{/usCountry}}READ | India slams China for blocking proposal in UN to list Sajid Mir as 'global terrorist'
"... the first and most crucial gap - we feel addressing is: avoiding double standards and this self-defeating justification of 'good terrorist v bad terrorist'. A terror act is a terror act - period - (and) any justification being used should not be countenanced by anybody."
Beijing blocks proposal
On Tuesday China had voted against a proposal - presented by both India and the US - to designate Mir a 'global terrorist'.
Tabled under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UNSC, it would have frozen Mir's financial assets and ordered a travel ban and arms embargo.
READ | China blocks India's bid to label 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind as 'global terrorist'
China had, in September last year, suspended the same proposal.
What did the US say?
The US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, said 'our belief in that designation speaks for itself'.
Who is Sajid Mir?
Mir, believed to be in his mid 40s, is one of India's most wanted terrorists and has a bounty of $5 million on his head - placed by the US - for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
In June last year, Mir was handed an eight-year sentence by a Pakistan anti-terrorism court. Reports till then had claimed that Mir had died but Western countries remain unconvinced and demanded proof of his death.
The issue made headlines as Pak sought removal from a 'grey list' of global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog FATF, or the Financial Action Task Force. Pakistan was on the list for failing to check such activities.
PM Modi in the US
China's blocking of the India-US proposal comes as prime minister Narendra Modi is in the country for his first State visit. The PM will be hosted to a formal dinner at the White House today by US president Joe Biden and his wife.
LIVE UPDATES | PM Modi in the United States for his first State visit
He is also scheduled to address the US Congress - for a second time - in a visit hailed by the Indian government as historic. Among the highlights of this nearly week-long trip will be a deal to secure advanced military drones and jet engines, as well as numerous agreements in aerospace, trade and other fields.
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