Who is LeT’s Shahid Mahmood, who China blocked from being designated a global terrorist?

China has blocked a bid by India and the USA to list Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Shahid Mahmood as a global terrorist. China placed a hold on the proposal by India and the United States to designate Mahmood as a global terrorist under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council. This is the fourth time in as many months that China has put a hold on listing proposals to designate Pakistan-based terrorists under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee regime. But who is Mahmood? And what other terrorists has China protected at the UN? Let’s take a closer look: As per the treasury department, Mahmood was born in Karachi on 10 April, 1980. Mahmood has served as the vice-chairman of Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a humanitarian and fundraising arm of LeT. The LeT has been involved in major attacks in India such as the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, Red Fort Attack in 2000, Rampur CRPF Camp attack in January 2008, Khanpora (Baramulla) attack in 2018, Srinagar attack in June 2018 and Gurez/Bandipora attack in 2018. As per News18, Mahmood had worked alongside Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD) and LeT chief Hafiz Saeed to create bases and sympathisers in India by sending funds in the garb of religious or charity work, which would be later utilised for anti-India and terror activities.

He is also close to 26/11 mastermind Sajid Mir and part of LeT’s overseas operations led by the top commander.

As part of LeT’s operations team, Mahmood’s areas of responsibility included Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh. He has previously stated that the LeT’s ‘primary concern’ should be attacking India and America. In August 2012, Mahmood, while in charge of the Sindh, Pakistan chapter of FIF, led a LeT delegation to Burma. Mahmood was identified as a LeT publication’s wing member in 2013, according to the US treasury department Mahmood was instructed to forge covert links with Islamic organisations in Bangladesh and Burma, as per the treasury department. Mahmood travelled to Bangladesh to ‘distribute funds to a Burmese migrant camp’ for the purpose of facilitating LeT recruitment, as per the press release. In 2014, as leader of the FIF, he travelled to Syria and Turkey. He was subsequently appointed to lead FIF efforts in both countries. Mahmood has also travelled to Bangladesh and Gaza on behalf of FIF. The department in December 2016 designated Mahmood a global terrorist. Other terrorists China protected at UN China earlier blocked proposals to designate Lashkar-e-Taiba’s  Sajid Mir, LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) leader Abdul Rehman Makki, and Abdul Rauf Azhar as global terrorists. Mir, a top Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) commander, is in charge of its “India setup” of LeT.

Mir, 44, is on the FBI’s list of most-wanted terrorists.

[caption id=“attachment_10835111” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] File image of Sajid Mir on FBI. Image courtesy: fbi.gov[/caption] He was one of the masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that left 166 people dead, including six Americans. Mir was called the “project manager” of the Mumbai attacks. Mir reportedly visited India in 2005 using a fake passport with a fake name. Mir served as a “handler” for David Headley and others who were directed to carry out actions relating to planning, preparing for, and carrying out terrorist attacks on behalf of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The US has placed a $5 million bounty on his head for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. Mir is responsible for attacks in about half a dozen other countries, including the US, Australia, France, Denmark and the UK. Mir in June was given a 15-year sentence in a terror-financing case by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan. The FBI has listed the charges against Mir as conspiracy to injure property of foreign government, providing material support to terrorists, killing a citizen outside the US, aiding and abetting, and bombing of places of public use. “Sajid Mir remains a shadowy figure about whom not much is known. Even his antecedents are fuzzy. Some reports claim that he joined the LeT at the young age of 16 and then rose up the ranks. But other reports, which might be circumstantially more credible, claim that he is a Pakistan Army/ISI member/officer who has been working very closely with the LeT,” according to a 2020 report by Jihad Watch. A US law enforcement official once said that “Mir is too powerful and too well connected for them to go after. We need the Pakistanis to go after the Taliban and Al Qaeda.” China defended its September move on Mir, claiming its action was consistent with “relevant rules” of the anti-terrorism committee of the UNSC. Makki, 74, a US-designated terrorist, is the Lashkar-e-Toiba’s (LeT) deputy chief. He is the brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed. Makki, the head of JuD’s political and international affairs wing and in-charge of its charity Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), was arrested during a government crackdown against the outlawed organisations in May.

Makki and Saeed are both in Lahore’s Kot Lapkhapt jail.

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[caption id=“attachment_9031661” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] File image of Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. PTI[/caption] In November 2010, the US Department of the Treasury designated Makki as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. As a result of this designation, among other consequences, all property, and interests in property, of Makki that are subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Makki. In addition, it is a crime to knowingly provide, or attempt or conspire to provide, material support or resources to the FTO LeT, the US said. The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice programme is offering a reward of up to $2 million for information on Makki, also known as Abdulrahman Maki. Makki has occupied various leadership roles within Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). He has also played a role in raising funds for LeT operations. “In 2020, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court convicted Makki on one count of terrorism financing and sentenced him to prison. The United States continues to seek information on Makki because the Pakistani judicial system has released convicted LeT leaders and operatives in the past, according to information on the Rewards for Justice website. China in June put a “technical hold” on the proposal to list Makki as a global terrorist. Calling the decision by China to place a “technical hold” on the listing requested by the United States and India “regrettable” and “extremely unfortunate”, New Delhi said that China’s actions ran counter to its claims of combating terrorism.

It added that evidence against Makki was “overwhelming”.

Abdul Rauf Azhar, the younger brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar, was born in 1974 in Pakistan. Sanctioned by the US in December 2010, he has been involved in planning and executing numerous terror strikes in India including the hijacking of Indian Airlines aircraft IC814 in 1999, the attack on Parliament in 2001 and the targeting of the IAF base in Pathankot in 2016. China in August put a technical hold on a joint proposal at the UN Security Council by India and the US to blacklist Azhar. All other 14 member states of the top UN body supported the move. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.