By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office of Pakistan on Wednesday said Islamabad approached the United Nations (UN) for designating four Indian nationals as global terrorists in 2019.
Spokesperson Ayesha Farooqui, responding to media queries, said Pakistan had proposed the inclusion of the four Indian nationals in the United Nations 1267 Sanctions List in 2019. They included Venumadhav Dongara, Ajoy Mistry, Gobinda Patnaik, and Angara Appaji.
She said these individuals were financing, sponsoring, and organising terrorism inside Pakistan by providing financial, technical, and material support to terrorist groups including TTP, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, and others.
“We are disappointed that Pakistan’s proposal to designate Venumadhav Dongara as a terrorist has been objected to,” the spokesperson said, adding Pakistan hopes that the listing requests of other three Indian nationals will be given due consideration by the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee in an objective and transparent manner.
Taking advantage of the prolonged conflict in the country’s neighbourhood, she pointed out, India has fomented terrorism inside Pakistan by providing training, financial and material support to terrorist groups to kill innocent people in Pakistan.
“These Indian nationals are now residing in India with impunity which vindicates Pakistan’s position that India is a state-sponsor of terrorism,” Ms Farooqui said.
Islamabad expressed disappointment on Wednesday after the country’s proposal to designate an Indian national as a global terrorist was shot down by the United States during a session of the UN Security Council.
Venumadhav Dongara was one of four Indian nationals that Pakistan had, in 2019, proposed to designate under the United Nations 1267 Sanctions List. The other three were identified as Ajoy Mistry, Gobinda Patnaik and Angara Appaji.
“These Indian nationals were financing, sponsoring and organising terrorism inside Pakistan by providing financial, technical and material support to terrorist groups including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jamaatul Ahrar (JuA) and others,” the FO statement maintained. The FO expressed disappointment that Dongara’s name was objected to, but remains hopeful that the request of the other three Indian nationals will be considered by the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee in an objective and transparent manner.
“Taking advantage of the prolonged conflict in our neighbourhood, India has fomented terrorism inside Pakistan by providing training, financial and material support to terrorist groups to kill innocent people in Pakistan,” the statement said.
“These Indian nationals are now residing in India with impunity which vindicates Pakistan’s position that India is a state-sponsor of terrorism.”
