India welcomes US blacklisting of 3 Pakistan-based terrorists

India on Wednesday welcomed the US designation of three Pakistani nationals as Specially Designated Global Terrorists for providing logistical and financial support to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist group.

"India welcomes the announcements made (on Tuesday) by the US Departments of State and Treasury in which three Pakistan-based (LeT) terrorists and terror financiers have been named as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDTG)," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to queries.

"The announcement vindicates India's consistent stand that internationally designated terrorist groups and individuals, including LeT and its front, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), continue to operate from and raise financial resources with impunity in Pakistan and use territories under its control for carrying out cross-border terrorism in India and elsewhere in South Asia," Kumar said.

"The latest designations also call into question Pakistan's sincerity in taking effective action against such terrorist elements."

The US State Department on Tuesday designated Abdul Rehman al-Dakhil as an SDGT under an Executive Order, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons who have committed or pose a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US nationals or the national security, foreign policy or economy of the US.

The other two were Hameed ul Hassan and Abdul Jabbar. The designation seeks to deny them the resources to plan and carry out terrorist attacks.

All their property and interests subject to US jurisdiction were blocked and US persons were generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them.

The State Department said Dakhil was a long-time member of the US designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and LeT and was an operational leader for LeT's attacks in India between 1997 and 2001.

In 2004, Dakhil was captured in Iraq by UK forces, held in US custody in Iraq and Afghanistan until his transfer to Pakistan in 2014.

After his release from Pakistani custody, Dakhil returned to work for the LeT. "In 2016, Dakhil was the LeT divisional commander for the Jammu region in Jammu and Kashmir. As of early 2018, Dakhil remained a senior commander in LeT," the US statement said.

In a separate statement, the US Treasury Department designated Hameed ul Hassan and Abdul Jabbar as SDGTs in order to disrupt LeT's fundraising and support networks.

"These LeT financial facilitators are responsible for collecting, transporting and distributing funds to support this terrorist group and provide salaries to extremists," said Sigal Mandelker, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

--IANS

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