PTI, NEW DELHI: With the nationalism plank driving its Lok Sabha poll campaign, the BJP Thursday sought to corner the Opposition, saying it is reluctant to celebrate India’s win after the UN designated Masood Azhar a global terrorist as it fears it may have to pay a political price.
Senior BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Nirmala Sitharaman credited the “persistent efforts” of the Modi government for India’s “massive diplomatic victory”, with the finance minister asserting that the contrast in the position of the Congress and his party on national security is “visible”.
The UN Sanctions Committee on Wednesday designated the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist after China lifted its hold on a proposal to ban him.
At a press conference, Jaitley also rejected the Congress’s stand that it was disappointed that the UN’s decision did not make any reference to the Pulwama terror attack and Azhar’s role in terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
The UN’s listing and decision are not a “bio data” of Azhar, and they don’t have to give details of his each and every activity, the finance minister asserted.
The core issue is that Azhar has been declared an international terrorist and he and his country will have to bear the consequences, Jaitley said.
Forty CRPF personnel were killed in the attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14 and the JeM had claimed responsibility for the attack.
