By: KeerthiMohan
Close allies Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on Monday called for avoiding “politicisation” of the UN listing regime at a time when India was stepping up its efforts to brand the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group’s chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, a move that may not go well in New Delhi.
Ahead of his visit to India amidst fresh Indo-Pak tensions, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed that dialogue is the only way to ensure peace and stability in the region to resolve “outstanding issues” between India and Pakistan, according to a joint statement issued at the end his visit.
Crown Prince Salman’s high-profile visit to Islamabad comes in the midst of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following one of the worst terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed. The attack was carried out when a JeM suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying huge quantities of explosives into a CRPF convoy in Pulwama district last Thursday.
Crown Prince Salman, who is visiting India on February 19-20, held talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on the issue of terrorism.
“They also underlined the need for avoiding politicisation of UN listing regime,” the joint statement said in an apparent reference to India’s bid to list JeM’s Pakistan-based chief Azhar as a global terrorist.
China, a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council and a close ally of Pakistan, has consistently blocked moves first by India and later by the US, the UK and France to designate Azhar as a global terrorist by the 1267 Committee by putting technical holds.
The Saudi Crown Prince “praised openness and efforts of Prime Minister Imran Khan for dialogue with India and the opening of the Kartarpur crossing point for Sikh pilgrims, the joint statement said.
It also pointed out to the “efforts exerted by both sides, stressing that dialogue is the only way to ensure peace and stability in the region to resolve outstanding issues”. The joint statement avoided mentioning Jammu and Kashmir by name, which has angered some Pakistanis.
“I am disappointed that Kashmir is not mentioned in the joint statement but I also understand why it is not,” former foreign minister Khursheed Kasuri told Dunya TV.
However, a separate statement issued by the Pakistan Foreign Office showed that Khan in his meeting briefed the royal guest about the violation of rights in Kashmir.
The Prime Minister briefed the Crown Prince on the “grave human rights violations” in Kashmir and the need for resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people, the Foreign Office said.
The two countries “reiterated their commitment to continue combating extremism and terrorism and expressed their deep appreciation for the achievements and sacrifices made by the two sides in the war against terrorism, the joint statement said.
“They also applauded the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in order to confront this serious scourge and called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to join all international efforts to combat global terrorism,” it said.
