France welcomes listing of JeM chief as global terrorist

New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) France, which has been vigorously pushing for listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, welcomed on Wednesday the decision of the UN Security Councils 1267 Sanctions Committee to sanction him, saying it signals the "successful realization" of its efforts.

"France welcomes the designation today, by the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee, of Mr Masood Azhar on the UN's ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List," said a statement issued by the spokesperson of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs soon after the action by the world body was announced.

The statement said for many years now, French diplomacy has been "relentlessly pleading" for sanctioning Azhar, "head of the terrorist group responsible, notably, for the Pulwama attack last February".

"This decision taken at the United Nations Security Council signals the successful realisation of our efforts," the spokesperson said.

"In application of its Monetary and Financial Code, France had adopted national sanctions against Masood Azhar on 15th March," the spokesperson said.

"France remains mobilised at all levels and all fora to take effective measures against terrorism," the statement added.

Azhar, a Pakistani national, founded the JeM with the help of Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI in January 2000, soon after his release from an Indian jail in exchange for 166 hostages of an Indian Airlines plane which was hijacked to Kandahar in Afghanistan during a flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi.

Since then, the outfit has carried out umpteen terror attacks in India, including the one on Parliament on December 13, 2001.

The latest outrageous action by the outfit was in Pulwama on February 14, when a suicide bomber of the JeM rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a CRPF convoy on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, killing 40 security personnel.