India has received unprecedented support from the international community, including the most powerful United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that comprises, among others, of veto-wielding China, against Pakistan-sponsored terror in the wake of the Pulwama attack that claimed the lives of over 40 CRPF personnel.

Also, despite the fact that China hitherto had blocked India’s bid to get the UNSC to declare Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, the press statement named Pak-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) which Azhar leads.

This public condemnation on the most powerful international forum comes just a day after Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, had met UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and UNSC head Anatolia Ndong Mba to convey her country’s concerns over deteriorating state of affairs between the two neighbours after Pulwama.

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According to reports, France would soon introduce a proposal to the UN to ban Azhar. Earlier, in 2009 India had moved to get him banned by the Sanctions Committee. In 2016, India, along with the US, the UK and France had moved for the same. Once again, such a bid in 2017 was sabotaged by China.

The UNSC expressed, in a statement, the members’ “deepest sympathy and condolences to families of victims, as well as to Indian people and the Government of India.”

The UNSC “reaffirmed” that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security”.

The body called upon all the states to “cooperate actively” with India.

The UNSC reiterated that “acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.”

The UNSC members “underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice.”

On Wednesday, Guterres had called upon India and Pakistan to exercise restraint while issuing his “strong condemnation of the terrorist attack against Indian security forces in Pulwama”.