Sanctions under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267

Gs Paper-3

Syllabus: Challenges to internal security (external state and non-state actors)

Context:

India and US proposal to designate Abdul Rehman Makki (brother-in-law of Hafiz Saeed, founder of Lashkar-e-Toiba) under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 were put on ‘technical hold’ by China.

What does ‘technical hold’ mean?

Beijing’s “technical hold”, which means the proposal cannot come up for another six months.
- China’s double standards: Its technical hold shows China is having “double standards” on terrorism and related activities.

What does resolution 1267 say?

Resolution 1267 provides for sanctions against individuals and entities that support or finance the acts or activities of ISIL, Al-Qaida, associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities.
- LeT, JuD, Hafiz Saeed, Jaish-e-Mohammed and it’s head Masood Azharare listed under 1267.

Why the efforts to designate Makki under UN sanction?

The US Treasury Department describes Makki as having “occupied various leadership roles within Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), and played role in terror funding for LeT operations. He has given several speeches threatening India with the terror attack.

Role of FATF

Pressure on Pakistan: Under the pressure of FATF, Pakistan began a crackdown against the LeT/JuD in 2017:
- Hafiz Saeed was placed under house arrest, and Pakistan proscribed JuD under its own 1997 Anti-Terror Act.
- However, FATF grey-listed Pakistan as its efforts was not satisfactory. It was also at risk of being black-listed
FATF is now considering removing Pakistan from the grey list: Pakistan’s continued political commitment to combating both terrorist financing and money laundering has led to significant progress
- In this context, the proposal to designate Makki helps Delhi remind the world that Pakistan may get off FATF, but its concerns about terrorism emanating from Pakistan remain.

FATF

The Financial Action Task Force, is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering. In 2001, its mandate was expanded to include terrorism financing.

Headquarters: It operates from Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris.
Member Countries: It has 39 members (including India) including two regional organisations – the EU and GCC (Gulf cooperation council)
Sessions: Its plenary (decision-making body) meets three times per year.
Lists under FATF:
- Grey List: It serves as warning for the countries considered safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering.
- Black List: High risk countries and Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs) are put in the blacklist. E.g., Iran and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).