In a major setback to Modi government., bid to designate Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, China on Wednesday put a technical hold on a proposal in the UN Security Council to ban him following the Pulwama terror attack.
The proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, UK and the US on February 27 after the February 14 terror attack that killed 40 CRPF jawans in Kashmir’s Pulwama. Jaish had taken responsibility for the suicide bombing.
“China will adopt a responsible attitude and continue to participate in discussions,” foreign ministry spokesperson, Lu Kang had said Wednesday when asked about what position China would take on the issue of Azhar’s listing. The statement is seen as a hint of yet another veto by China at the UNSC.
On Tuesday, the US cautioned China that the failure of the UNSC move to designate Azhar a terrorist, would “run counter” to the shared goal of the two countries of achieving peace and stability in the region.
On Monday, India and the US called on Pakistan to take “concerted action” to dismantle terror infrastructure and deny safe haven to all terror groups, reflecting the growing pressure on Islamabad to crack down on terror after the Pulwama suicide bombing.
Pressuring Pakistan to deliver on its counter-terrorism commitments and the move to designate Azhar a global terrorist figured in foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale’s meeting with US secretary of state Mike Pompeo.
