UN: China today has once again blocked the move to have terrorist Masood Azhar, who heads the Jaish-e-Mohammed, blacklisted by the UN. The veto will create new friction with India, which has been pressing for sanctions that would freeze Masood Azhar's assets and ban international travel from Pakistan, where he lives.
India, backed by the United States, France and UK, has been trying to get Masood Azhar added to a UN list of groups with ties to Al Qaeda. His Jaish-e-Mohammed is responsible for a series of deadly attacks in India including at the Uri military base in Kashmir last year in which 17 security personnel were killed.
China, which is a member of the UN Security Council with the right to veto, said today it has rejected the move as "there is no consensus" on Masood Azhar's role in terror attacks in India.
Such decisions must be based on cast-iron evidence, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said earlier this week.
The wrangling over Masood Azhar, has become a major sticking point over the last two years between China and India.
On Monday, the foreign ministry had cited the lack of “solid proof” against Azhar, accused by India of masterminding the terror attack on Pathankot airbase in 2016, as the reason for its stubborn insistence on blocking the move.
There was more of the same when the issue was raised at the regular foreign ministry news briefing on Thursday.
“We raised a technical hold so as to allow the UN Security Council committee and all members to deliberate on this matter. But there is still an absence of consensus (among the member countries),” spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
“The (the 1267 committee which imposes sanctions on terror organisations) has its rules of procedure and it has yet to reach a consensus, there are still disagreements,” she said.
Hua added, “China’s actions are meant to ensure that we safeguard the authority and effectiveness of this committee and we will continue to follow the mandate of the committee and rules of procedure and remain in constant communication and coordination will all members of the committee.”
Delhi believes Beijing is backing its long-time ally, Pakistan, on a matter that endangers India's national security.
Jaish-e-Mohammad has already been blacklisted by the 15-nation Security Council, but its chief has not.
Last year in March, China was the only member in the 15-nation UN Security Council to block India's application against Masood Azhar.
In August, China and India wound down their worst-ever border conflict in three decades. The confrontation between soldiers from the two countries was located on the remote and mountainous Doklam Plateau, where Indian troops stopped China from constructing a new road.
