UN blacklists Abdul Rehman Makki as terrorist

The United Nations has listed Abdul Rehman Makki, a militant being held in Pakistan, as a global terrorist.

The designation stems from the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people.

Makki, a Pakistani citizen, is a senior figure in the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which is active in Kashmir. The 68-year-old was arrested in Punjab province in 2019 and convicted at the end of 2020 on charges of terror financing. He was sentenced to one year in prison, though is still in custody.

The decision to put Makki on the sanctions blacklist was approved by the UN Security Council's 15 members. The decision means that his assets can be frozen and he will face a travel ban.

Makki is the brother-in-law of Hafiz Saeed, who is accused of orchestrating the Mumbai attacks. Saeed is serving a 31-year prison sentence and has already been designated a terrorist by the UN Security Council.

The announcement by the Security Council comes after China lifted a block on adding Makki to the list.

Shri Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson from India's Ministry of External Affairs said: "India remains committed to pursuing a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism and will continue to press the international community to take credible, verifiable and irreversible action against terrorism."

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a spokesperson from Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said: "Pakistan is a victim of terrorism and supports counter-terrorism efforts at the international level including at the United Nations and other multilateral fora."

Image: UN Security Council: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons