France to move proposal at UN to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist

France will soon be moving a proposal at the United Nations to put Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar on the global terrorist list, French diplomatic sources told ANI here.

This comes after the recent Pulwama terror attack that claimed the lives of as many as 40 CRPF personnel. It is pertinent to note that Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM claimed the responsibility for the attack.

According to sources, the proposal will demand Azhar's name to be put on the UN Counter-Terrorism Sanctions List.

Following the ghastly attack, United States National Security Advisor John Bolton had also called up his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval and promised to remove all obstacles to designating JeM chief Masood Azhar as a 'global terrorist' under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 Committee process.

A proposal to list Azhar is pending before the UN Security Council but it is being blocked by China. India has been urging the international community to put pressure on China to lift its blockade

Three terrorists, including a top commander of JeM Kamran, suspected to be the mastermind of terror attack on CRPF convoy, were killed in Pulwama on Monday in a fierce encounter in which a Major and four other security personnel also lost their lives and a Brigadier, a Lt Colonel, a Captain and a DIG of state police were injured.

"Among the dead terrorists is suspected to be Kamran alias Ghazi, a Pakistani commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) believed to be behind the deadly attack of last Thursday in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed in this district," sources told ANI.

Kamran, considered to be a close aide of JeM chief Masood Azhar, had crossed over to Kashmir from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in December last year, sources said. He had been sent by Azhar to intensify terror acts by involving locals. A local terrorist, identified as Hilal, was also killed, the sources said.