India has criticised the United Nations’ process of sanctioning terrorists, saying that the permanent members often block efforts to designate terrorists without providing any valid reason, the Hindustan Times reported. China has repeatedly obstructed India’s attempts to get Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar listed as a global terrorist.
“Unlike in the Security Council, where vetoes are cast in public meetings and explanations made publicly, in the subterranean universe, no such practice exists,” India’s Permanent Representative to the world body, Syed Akbaruddin (pictured above), said during an open debate on the Security Council’s working methods. “Most of the time, one does not even know which countries have exercised their veto.”
The Security Council has 14 sanctions committees, each with an assigned target or set of targets. The principles of anonymity and unanimity guide the actions of these bodies, Akbaruddin claimed.
“For example, in practical terms, decisions of these sanctions committees can be placed on hold or blocked by any of the 15 Member States of these Committees,” PTI quoted him as saying. “The challenges related to the working methods of the sanctions committees were not merely related to transparency and accountability, and in that context a case existed for the Council to address the anomalies in the committees’ working methods.”
Akbaruddin told the Security Council that these flaws affected the efficiency with which these sanctions are implemented, and erodes the credibility of the Council’s work. “It is in this spirit that my country, along with so many others, have called for the reform of the Security Council.”
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