- By Supratik Das
- Tue, 27 May 2025 10:47 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
In a move that raises serious concerns about global counter-terrorism efforts, China again thwarted India's attempt at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to sanction five Pakistan-based terrorists as international threats under the 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee. These terrorists, who are linked to LeT and JeM, have been directly responsible for some of the most gruesome terror attacks on Indian soil, including the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama bombing, and the 2001 Parliament attack. China has also obstructed India’s attempt to sanction The Resistance Front (TRF), a LeT offshoot involved in the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir, according to intelligence reports cited by The Economic Times and a detailed National Investigation Agency (NIA) dossier.
Who Are the Terrorists China Has Shielded?
Despite global backing, particularly from the United States, China has placed repeated technical holds on UNSC proposals targeting:
• Abdul Rauf Asghar: India, along with the United States, co-sponsored a proposal on July 27, 2022, to designate Abdul Rauf Asghar—the brother of JeM founder Masood Azhar- as a global terrorist. Despite initial support, China placed a hold on the proposal and eventually blocked it on May 10, 2023. Rauf was the chief planner behind the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Parliament attack, and the 2016 Pathankot airbase strike. NIA investigations further implicated him in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, citing key evidence from a co-accused’s mobile phone.
• Sajid Mir: China also blocked India’s move to list Sajid Mir, a senior LeT commander and key handler of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, as a global terrorist. Mir is already designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the US Treasury Department since August 2012 and is on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Though Pakistan asserted that it had arrested Mir in May 2022 and got a quick conviction on charges of terror financing, Indian authorities believe the action was taken as part of international appeasement and without actual accountability.
• Talha Saeed: The joint India-US resolution to designate Talha Saeed, who is the son of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, has been repeatedly blocked by China since 2022. Talha is said to be actively involved in recruitment, funding, and planning terror activities in India and Afghanistan.
• Shahid Mehmood Rehmatullah: Likewise, Shahid Mehmood Rehmatullah, FIF deputy chief and a front organization of LeT, has been on the radar for employing religious charities as a front for transferring funds to India for extremist activities. His sanctioning also continues to remain obstructed.
• Abdur Rehman Makki: Abdul Rehman Makki, the chief of LeT's political affairs department, was originally blocked from listing in 2022 but later had the hold removed by China and was added to the UN list of sanctions in 2023. In a surprising twist, Pakistan allegedly told the UN that Makki had died, which raised questions among Indian agencies about an attempt to protect him from further investigation.
This is not the first time Beijing has used its veto power at the UNSC to shield Pakistan-based terrorists. India has made three different proposals for adding TRF to the UN sanctions list—first in December 2023, followed by a second one in May 2024, and the latest in December 2024. Each time, the action has been prevented by Beijing. Beijing's approach jeopardizes the integrity of the UN sanctions regime and encourages terror groups based in Pakistan. This trend of Chinese obstruction is being seen as a hindrance to global action against terrorism. India has repeatedly emphasised the need for a “zero-tolerance” approach and the importance of holding state-sponsors of terrorism accountable.