Listing of Masood Azhar as global terrorist: US calls for public vote in UNSC

In a major development, the US has called for a public vote on the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. The US has for now circulated a draft resolution in the UN Security Council. 

The draft resolution does not require a consensus like with the UNSC 1267 committee. China had only this month vetoed a proposal by the committee to list Masood as a terrorist. 

Instead, the US's draft resolution needs nine votes in favour from the 15 UNSC members and no vetoes by permanent members China, Russia, the United States, France and Britain to pass. (That means China can veto it again.) 

It remains unclear when the vote on the resolution will be held but when it is, it will be a public vote. This public vote will bypass the 1267 committee mode to designate Azhar a global terrorist. 

The US, UK, and France had after the Pulwama terrorist attack last month proposed the designation of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, but China put a technical hold on the move on March 13. 

China has previously blocked the listing of Masood Azhar three times — in 2009, in 2016 and in 2017.

 The JeM, of which Azhar is a co-founder, had claimed responsibility for the February 14 Pulwama terrorist attack that killed over 40 Indian security personnel.