Days after China blocked the listing of JeM founder Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the United Nations Security Council, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said India is not alone in its fight against terror in 2019.
In a series of tweets, Swaraj highlighted how from 2009 to 2019, a growing number of countries had backed India in its efforts to get listed Masood Azhar as a global terrorist under the United Nations' security council's (UNSC) 1267 committee.
While India was the lone proposer in 2019, its proposal was co-sponsored by UK, US and France in 2016. The next year, the US, UK and France moved a proposal against Azhar. By 2019, several countries backed India.
"In 2019, the proposal was moved by USA, France and UK and supported by 14 of the 15 UN Security Council Members and also co-sponsored by Australia, Bangladesh, Italy and Japan - non-members of the Security Council," tweeted Swaraj.
China has blocked all the proposals from 2009 to 2019, even as a growing number of countries have agreed with New Delhi on the issue of terror and on the listing of Azhar.
The JeM orchestrated the Pulwama suicide bombing last month that killed 40 CRPF personnel.
Swaraj's communication comes in the backdrop of Congress president Rahul Gandhi accusing the Centre of failing to get Azhar listed despite good ties with China. Gandhi also referred to the informal Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping to jibe at the government.
Swaraj said, "Leaders who describe this as our diplomatic failure may see for themselves that in 2009, India was alone. In 2019, India has worldwide support." Meanwhile, France has announced it will freeze the assets of Masood Azhar and will ask the European Union to include Azhar in the list of persons involved in terror attacks.
