GS Paper 2
Syllabus: International Relations, Security Challenges and their Management in Border Areas – Linkages of Organized Crime with Terrorism
Source: TH
Direction: The article highlights the significance of international counterterrorism cooperation to curb terrorist threats and dismantle terror infrastructure.
Context:
- The UN Security Council’s (UNSC) 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee added 68-year-old Abdul Rehman Makki to its list of designated terrorists upon China withdrew its ‘ technical hold’.
- Pakistan-based Makki is the deputy chief of the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and the brother-in-law of its founder (Hafiz Saeed).
Background:
- During India’s two-year (2021-22) tenure at the UNSC, five names were designated under the ISIL and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee including Abdul Rehman Makki (LeT).
- These names faced a “technical hold” from China, while the other 14 members (permanent + non-permanent) of the UNSC supported the listing.
- India and the US have listed Makki as a terrorist under their respective national laws.
- In October 2022, Pakistan was removed from the grey list.
What is the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee?
- The committee is part of the UNSC and its job is to implement international sanctions against terrorists.
- It was established as the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee in 1999 after UNSC Resolution 1267 designated Al-Qaeda and the Taliban as terrorist bodies. In 2011, a separate committee was formed for the Taliban.
What does the UN’s blacklisting of terrorists imply?
- Resolution 1267 was adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and requires all UN member states to –
- Freeze the assets,
- Prevent the entry into or transit through their territories, and
- Prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale and transfer of arms and military equipment to any individual or entity associated with Al-Qaida.
- It is conducive to enhancing international counterterrorism cooperation in response to terrorist threats.
Significance for India:
- Threats from terrorist organisations in the region remain high. (Makki being linked to seven terror attacks in India)
- Listings and sanctions by the UNSC are effective tools to curb such threats and dismantle terror infrastructure in the region.
- It validates India’s commitment to a zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism.
- It will also inspire India to press the international community to take credible, verifiable, and irreversible action against terrorism.
FATF:
- It 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 terror 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 a warning for the countries considered a safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering.
- Black List: High-risk countries and Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs) are put on the blacklist. E.g., Iran, Myanmar and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Insta Links:
Sanctions under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267
Mains Links:
Q. Analyse the complexity and intensity of terrorism, its causes, linkages and obnoxious nexus. Also, suggest measures required to be taken to eradicate the menace of terrorism. (UPSC 2021)
