Asia Pacific Group to monitor Pakistan compliance of UN sanction on Dawood, Lakhvi

[Hindustani78]

Last Updated: Monday, June 29, 2015 - 21:36
APG to monitor Pakistan compliance of UN sanction on Dawood, Lakhvi | Zee News

New Delhi: India has been successful in bringing Pakistan under monitoring of Asia Pacific Group to enforce UN sanctions against underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, terror mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and LeT founder Hafiz Saeed despite strong opposition from China.


Officials said China has stood by Pakistan on terror asking India to back off at the recently-concluded meeting of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body, held in Brisbane, Australia, when New Delhi had strongly raised non-compliance by Islamabad on freezing assets of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its affiliates and Dawood.

However,India has been successful in convincing allies like the US to derail China's attempt and roped in the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), an autonomous and collaborative international organisation consisting of 41 members and a number of international and regional observers.

APG will now monitor and ensure Pakistan's compliance of UN sanctions against terrorists as Islamabad is a member of the international body, officials said.

China had objected to India raising the issue at FATF on the grounds that Pakistan is not a member of the grouping.

India has been insisting that Pakistan must seize assets of fugitive Dawood Ibrahim and most wanted terrorists Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi as all three are in UNSC's al Qaeda sanctions list which makes it incumbent upon Islamabad to freeze their holdings.

The UN Security Council's al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee has listed Dawood, Saeed and Mumbai terror attack key conspirator Lakhvi and impose sanctions on them.

As a UN member state, it is the responsibility of Pakistan to freeze their assets.

The committee, established pursuant to UN Security Council resolution 1267 (1999), is a Security Council subsidiary organ that oversees the implementation by member- states of the three sanctions measures -- assets freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo -- imposed against targeted individuals and entities associated with al Qaeda, as designated by the Committee in its sanctions list.

India has been maintaining that 1993 Mumbai serial blasts key accused Dawood is in Pakistan, though Islamabad denies it.

Hafiz Saeed roams freely in Pakistan while Lakhvi, set free from a Rawalpindi jail last month, is currently living in the country.

Dawood was put in UNSC sanction list in 2003, Saeed in 2008 and Lakhvi in 2008.

PTI

 

[Hindustani78]

China ready to talk with India over Lakhvi | Zee News
Last Updated: Thursday, July 2, 2015 - 12:44

Beijing: Amid India's concerns over China's move to block action against Pakistan over release of Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, China has proposed to discuss the issue with India in the joint mechanism on counter-terrorism.


In the first detailed comment from China over its move to block action against Pakistan in the UN Security Council, a senior Chinese official said the two countries are victims of terrorism and are working quite well to combat the menace.

"Both India and China are victims of terrorism. We have similar positions on this. We are working quite well in this field. We are opposed terrorism all forms," said Huang Xilian, Deputy Director General of the Asian Affairs Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

But at the same time he said that when it comes to the specific issue in multilateral institutions it required further discussions.

"We need to have further discussion and conversation so that we can have better understanding and can work closely on it. We are ready to do that. We have a mechanism of counter-terrorism consultation between the two ministries" in which it can be discussed, he told Indian journalists yesterday.

The meeting of the counter-terrorism mechanism is scheduled to be held in the second half of this year.

"We hope it will bring help closer cooperation between the two in this field," he said.

Huang said India and China have similar positions on terrorism at the UN.

"We share similar positions in principle. On specific issues... We need to stay (in) close communication for better understanding and close cooperation," he said.

"We have effective mechanism of counter-terrorism consultation. It is quite effective and we should make full use of this mechanism to promote understanding and cooperation," he said.

Beside the Lakhvi's case, China had earlier put a technical hold on India's demand for UN Security Council to take action against Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahuddin and Lashkar-e-Toiba leader Hafiz Sayeed.

Indian officials said when the UN Sanctions Committee met at India's request, a clarification was to be sought from Pakistan over Lakhvi's release in the 26/11 trial but the Chinese representatives blocked the move on grounds that India did not provide sufficient information.

In a letter to the current Chair of the UN Sanctions Committee Jim McLay, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Asoke Mukherjee had said Lakhvi's release by a Pakistani court was in violation of the 1267 UN resolution dealing with designated entities and individuals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took up the issue with the Chinese leadership.

PTI

 

[Hindustani78]

Bringing back Dawood Ibrahim to India is a matter of doing, not talking: Niranjan Jyoti | Zee News
Last Updated: Sunday, July 5, 2015 - 19:42

Ahmedabad: Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti on Sunday said the issue of bringing back underworld don Dawood Ibrahim to India was a "matter of doing and not talking."

To a query by reporters here that the Centre wants to bring back Dawood to India, but his aide Chhota Shakeel has reportedly said the government cannot nab him, Jyoti said much more has been spoken on the issue.

"This is a matter of doing, not talking," she further said.

Notably, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani had recently stated that Dawood, a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, was willing to surrender to Indian authorities but Sharad Pawar, the then Chief Minister heading a Congress government in Maharashtra, had rejected the offer.

However, the NCP chief had yesterday said that Jethmalani had contacted him over Dawood's willingness to surrender, but conditions put forward for it were not acceptable to the state government.

The offer was made during Pawar's tenure as Chief Minister in 1990s.

"It is true that Ram Jethmalani had given a proposal about Dawood's willingness to return. But there was a condition that Dawood should not be kept in jail. Rather he be allowed to remain in a house. This was not acceptable. We said he had to face the law," Pawar had told reporters.

PTI

 

[Hindustani78]

Modi meets Xi, takes up China blocking UN action against Pak over Lakhvi issue | Zee News
Last Updated: Thursday, July 9, 2015 - 02:04

Zee Media Bureau

Ufa (Russia): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday raised the issue of China blocking action against Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) over release of Mumbai attacks mastermind Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, with President Xi Jinping during delegation-level talks in Russia's Ufa.

Modi met Xi – their fifth meeting in a year – ahead of the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summits here.

Addressing reporters, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said that the contentious issue of Lakhvi's release and China's move to block action against Pakistan at the UNSC came up during the talks.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly took up the issue of China blocking the resolution. He conveyed India's concerns,” Jaishankar informed.

"I can assume that the Chinese side was impressed with the clarity and directness in which it was conveyed. It was felt that we should keep talking on that," he added.

At a meeting of the UN Sanctions Committee last month, India had sought action against Pakistan for release of LeT operations commander Lakhvi in the 26/11 trial in violation of a UN resolution, but the Chinese representatives blocked the move on grounds that New Delhi did not provide sufficient information.

Lakhvi, the mastermind of the 26/11 terror attack, was released from a Pakistani jail in April.

Meanwhile, the issue of USD 46 billion China-Pakistan economic corridor passing through the Azad Kashmir (Azad Kashmir) was also taken up during the meeting.

“That corridor project covers Azad Kashmir. Our concerns were expressed when PM Modi went to China, our concerns were reiterated (today),” Jaishankar said.

As far as India is concerned, it was clearly stated that the corridor passing through Azad Kashmir is a matter of concern for us, he added.

The Foreign Secretary further informed that the border situation was also discussed in detail during the 85-minute long meeting between PM Modi and President Xi.

They discussed the boundary issue, confidence building measures, issues of maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border and more meeting points at the border, he said.

Jaishankar said India's bid for a permanent seat in a reformed UN Security Council and the Nuclear Suppliers Group membership also came up for discussion.

The Foreign Secretary, meanwhile, did not confirm whether PM Modi will hold a bilateral with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the BRICS and SCO summits.

“When we are in a position to tell you that the meeting is taking place, we will,” he stated.