In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, recently, the Indian delegation presented shreds of evidence to the counter-terrorism officials at the UN Security Council’s (UNSC) 1267 Sanctions Committee against The Resistance Front (TRF) in New York. India advocated to designate TRF as a terror group under the UNSCR's 1267 sanctions list.
TRF, which is a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba - a Pakistan-based UN-designated terror organisation (under the 1267 sanctions list) - initially took responsibility for the barbaric Pahalgam terror attack which took 26 lives. Later on, the statement was retracted by TRF.
What is 1267 Sanctions Committee?
A subsidiary body of the UN Security Council, established under Resolution 1267 (1999), tasked with overseeing the implementation of sanctions against designated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities linked to Al-Qaida, ISIL (Da’esh), and other associated terrorist organisations.
Role of the Committee -
The 1267 Sanctions Committee is responsible for managing the sanctions regime, which includes actions such as asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes. The Committee reviews and approves requests related to the listing or delisting of individuals, entities, or groups as terrorists, and accordingly updates the "1267 Sanctions List".
The other key responsibility of the committee includes coordinating with the member states and other organisations such as - INTERPOL, in order to make sure that the sanctions are being enforced globally.
What is the 1267 sanctions list?
A list officially called the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List, is maintained by the 1267 Sanctions Committee. The list contains the names of individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities subject to the sanctions regime.
However, there is no assurance that the designated organisation or individual under 1267 will be punished or imprisoned.
Also Read: India pushes for UN sanctions on TRF at key 'meet'
LeT, JeM - its' chief Masoor Azhar on the list:
The sanctions committee had blacklisted terrorists like Osama Bin Laden along with his associates. Pakistan-based terror organisations like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba are on the list, too. Not only this, over 150 terror groups with links to Pakistan have their names on the list.
JeM chief Masood Azhar was listed under the 1267 sanctions regime in May 2019. China had thwarted India’s bid to have him designated as a terrorist under the list for 10 years. Still, there is no mention of Masood’s links to terrorist activities in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, or to the Pulwama attack of 14 February 2019.
The UN Security Council approved the listing of Abdul Rehman Makki, the deputy chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), marking the first listing with India as the Council's proposer during 2021-2022. Makki was also the first person to be specifically named for carrying out terrorist acts in Jammu and Kashmir. As per the reports, Makki died in 2024.
UNSC's special sanctions committee to deal with Taliban -
To deal solely with the Taliban, a special sanctions committee was constituted by the UNSC in the year 2011. The committee was chaired by India between 2021 and 2022.
It is here to be noted that Afghanistan's Acting Prime Minister Hasan Akhund, Acting First Deputy PM Abdul Ghani Baradar, and Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi are still on the sanctions list.
Syria's interim president's link to group placed under sanctions list -
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is an affiliate of Al-Qaeda is also on the 1267 sanctions list. The interim President of Syria Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, with whom US President Donald Trump recently met and shook hands, is the former leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Also Read: India stresses on maritime, anti-terror strategy at UNSC
UNSCR 1267 sanctions committee decides who goes on or comes off the list, and the list guides the Member States in applying the measures required. Both work together to disrupt terrorist activities globally under its' resolutions like - 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011), and 2253 (2015).
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