U.N. lists leader of Pakistani militant group as 'global terrorist'

May 2 (UPI) -- The United Nations designated Wednesday the leader of a militant group responsible for a suicide bomb attack that brought India and Pakistan to the cusp of war earlier this year a "global terrorist" after China withdrew its objection.

The U. N. declared Masood Azhar a "global terrorist," freezing all his finances and assets, India's The Economic Times reported.

Azhar's Jaish-e-Mohammed, which was added to the U.N. sanctions list in 2001 for its ties to Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the Feb. 14 suicide bombing of an Indian convoy that killed 40 military personnel in the Pulwama district of the disputed region of Jammu Kashmir.

The attack led to India accusing Pakistan of harboring Jaish-e-Mohammed and a retaliatory airstrike on the terrorist group within its neighbors borders.

Strikes and skirmishes between the two countries continued until April.

The designation was applauded by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who following the attack vowed retribution would be paid.

"Today is a day that would make every Indian proud!" he said in a tweet. "I thank the global community and all those who believe in humanitarian values for their support. India's fight against terror will continue."

India's permanent representative to the U.N. Syed Akbaruddin said he is "grateful" for the global organ's support.

"Big, small, all join together," he said in announcing the U.N.'s designation. "Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist in U.N. sanctions list."

Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said it would, "as a responsible state," fully adhere to the U.N. sanctions while asserting the country's stance against all terrorism, including "Indian state-sponsored terrorism against innocent Kashmiris," Pakistan's Dawn reported.

The designation of Azhar, 50, comes after four attempts to have his name added to the U.N's list of global terrorists.

The previous three attempts were blocked by Pakistan-ally China with the fourth being a technical hold the Asian nation applied to a fresh proposal in March.

China revoked its hold after the United States drafted a resolution for the U.N. Security Council that would have forced China to use its veto to continue to block the designation.

Following the approval, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a press briefing China changed its stance following a review of the revised materials.

"Recently, relevant countries revised and resubmitted the materials for the listing proposal to the [U.N.] committee," he said. "After careful study of the revised materials and taking into consideration the opinions of relevant parties concerned, China does not have objection to the listing proposal."

Geng also reaffirmed China's relationship to Pakistan, stating that the country had made "enormous contributions to fighting terrorism, which deserve the full recognition of the international community" and that China will continue to support Pakistan in its fight against extremists.