Masood Azhar: Global Terrorist. What's next?

Masood Azhar, the mastermind behind the Pulwama attack, has finally been designated a global terrorist by the United Nations. Earlier attempts to blacklist him were unsuccessful, owing to China blocking the proposals. However, in what is seen as a diplomatic victory for India, the Jaish-e-Mohammad chief is now a global terrorist, a culmination of efforts by a number of countries viz., India, France, US, UK among others.

So, what does it mean for India? More importantly, what does it mean for Masood Azhar and Pakistan?

When someone is identified as a global terrorist by the sanctions committee in the UN, a number of restrictions are imposed on the said entity.
The measures include:

Asset freeze: All or any of the assets of the designated individuals or entities are required to be frozen by the member states of UN. The basic idea is to dry out the funds that sponsor terrorism.

Travel ban: The UN member states are required to deny passage to the designated entities through their territories.

Arms freeze: The member states are to make sure that the blacklisted individuals or entities are not allowed access to any kind of arms, or related material or services of all types and in any way.

However, given the impunity with which Masood Azhar has been operating within the Pakistan territory, would the ban on him make any difference on the ground? Terror entities like Hafiz Saeed, the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish are already in the blacklist for about a decade, but there has been no appreciable actions against them by Pakistan, from where they operate. However, the circumstances are quite different now for Pakistan than what it was a decade back.

The economy of Pakistan is going through a rough period. It is expecting a bailout package from the IMF to tackle the severe Balance of Payments crisis. To add to the woe, Pakistan has been greylisted by the FATF and was asked to take steps to curb money laundering and terror financing. Further downgrading by FATF would cause more problem to arrange fundings for the already cash-strapped nation.

Under such circumstances, it would not be easy for Pakistan to overlook the increasing global pressure. Therefore, Pakistan is expected to show some positive response in bringing the abominable Masood Azhar to justice. India, on the other hand, should not relent, for the war against terrorism, both diplomatic and direct, is a long one and far from over.

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