Pakistan’s efforts to implicate India and Indian nationals over terror-related crimes has resulted in the country now targeting an Indian cook.
According to diplomats and foreign ministry officials, Pakistan, with the help of its all-weather ally China has moved the UN Security Council under resolution 1267 (the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, or the 1267 Sanctions Committee as it is now known) seeking action against Indian national Ajoy Mistry who it describes as an Islamic State terrorist targeting Pakistan. Islamabad’s proposal to add Mistry in the ISIL and al Qaida Sanctions List has been circulated by the chair of the 1267 Committee to the other members this month, the diplomats added.
Last month, the United States blocked another China-sponsored proposal by Pakistan to designate Venumadhav Dongara, an Indian engineer working on transmission lines in Afghanistan, as a global terrorist by the 1267 committee.
Also Watch: NSA Ajit Doval on terror financing watchdog FATF lens on Pakistan
As reported by HT, Islamabad filed an FIR against him in Peshawar on March 11, 2019 on charges of supplying weapons, ammunitions and explosives to the Tariq Gidar terror group, which allegedly attacked Peshawar air base on September 18, 2015. Fearing that Pakistan may want to make Dongara the next Kulbushan Jadhav, Indian security agencies evacuated the engineer from Afghanistan on September 8. Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer turned businessman was allegedly picked up by Pakistan’s spy agency in Iran. He was sentenced to death but the International Court of Justice this year stayed the execution and has asked Pakistan to review the entire case.
According to South Block officials, the list entry and narrative summary for designating Ajoy Mistry under the 1267 resolution describes him as a “coordinator of terror network in Afghanistan, who works with ISIL-Khorasan to undertake different terror activities in Pakistan”. The submitted dossier also claims that he was involved in “facilitating the movement of foreign terrorist fighters from Syria and Iraq to Afghanistan and held a number of meetings with ISIL-Khorsan leaders in 2017 and 2018”. It further states that Ajoy Mistry provided finances to ISIL-K leadership in August-September 2018 to carry out suicide attacks at Kalaya Bazaar, Orakzai, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan in which 31 persons were killed. According to Indian security agencies, Mistry holds an Indian passport and worked two years (2016-2018) as a cook in Abu Dhabi. Earlier, between 2008 and 2011, he worked as a cook in US Army camp in Iraq, and in June 2012 went to Kabul and spent two more years as a cook in Afghanistan. After being warned, the Indian officials say, he returned to India and is now in Kolkata. HT could not reach him for comment.
The Indian officials said Pakistan may be looking at trying to list at least three or four more Indian nationals. With several Pakistani citizens being designated as global terrorists including Dawood Ibrahim, Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar, Islamabad wants to achieve some sort of parity with India by getting an Indian national designated with the help of China, they added.
{{/usCountry}}The Indian officials said Pakistan may be looking at trying to list at least three or four more Indian nationals. With several Pakistani citizens being designated as global terrorists including Dawood Ibrahim, Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar, Islamabad wants to achieve some sort of parity with India by getting an Indian national designated with the help of China, they added.
{{/usCountry}}