The United States and Saudi Arabia have put sanctions on six entities and individuals charged with funding terror organisations including Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). India has welcomed the decision as the move assumes significance because it has come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Modi is expected to firm up security cooperation in the Gulf region which is important to counter the growing influence of Islamic militancy. Earlier, at Washington Nuclear Security Summit he had said, “Terrorism is globally networked. But, we still act only nationally to counter this threat. “The reach and supply chains of terrorism are global, but genuine cooperation between nation states is not. “Drop the notion that terrorism is someone else’s problem and that ‘his’ terrorist is not ‘my’ terrorist.” This is the second time the US and Saudi officials have coordinated to disrupt the finances of terror groups in South Asia. On the other hand China once again played the truant by defending its decision to once again block India’s bid at the UN to ban Jaish-e-Mohammad chief and mastermind of the Pathankot terror attack Masood Azhar, saying that it acts on such issues based on facts and rules in an “objective and just manner”. This is not the first time China has blocked India’s bid to get Pakistan-based militant groups and leaders proscribed by the UN. The UN had banned the JeM in 2001 but India’s efforts for a ban on Azhar after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack also did not fructify as China, one of the five permanent members of the UN group with veto powers, didn’t allow the ban apparently at the behest of Pakistan again. Last July, China had similarly halted India’s move in the UN to take action against Pakistan for its release of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, saying that its stand was “based on facts and in the spirit of objectiveness and fairness” with Beijing again claiming at the time that it was in touch with New Delhi giving an impression that ‘your terror is not my concern’ which is needed to be changed at an early stage.
