India Honest is glad on the huge diplomatic victory scored at UN when India became successful in bringing Pakistan under the monitoring of the Asia Pacific Group to enforce UN sanctions against underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, terror mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and LeT founder Hafiz Saeed despite strong opposition from China.
Officials said China stood by Pakistan on terror asking India to back off at the recently-concluded meeting of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body, held in Brisbane, Australia, when New Delhi had strongly raised non-compliance by Islamabad on freezing assets of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its affiliates as well as on Dawood Ibrahim.
Top government sources said despite China's intervention in the matter stating that Pakistan was not a member of FATF so the matter could not be taken up at the forum, India managed to ensure that Islamabad is kept under scrutiny for complying with UNSC provisions under which they should freeze economic resources of the terror trio. "We prevailed upon them to keep Pakistan under monitoring since it's part of FATF's Asia Pacific Group," said a government official.
India has said that the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts key accused Dawood Ibrahim is in Pakistan, thoughIslamabad denies this.Hafiz Saeed roams freely in Pakistan while Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, who was set free from a Rawalpindijail, is currently living in the country.Dawood Ibrahim was put in the UNSC sanction list in 2003, Hafiz Saeed in 2008 and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in 2008.
However, India has been successful in convincing allies like the United States to derail China's attempt, and roped in the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), an autonomous and collaborative international organisation consisting of 41 members and a number of international and regional observers.
APG will now monitor and ensure Pakistan's compliance of UN sanctions against terrorists as Islamabad is a member of the international body, officials said. China had objected to India raising the issue at FATF on the grounds that Pakistan is not a member of the grouping.