China has blocked four bids in ten years to get Masood Azharlisted as a UN-designated Global Terrorist. Experts say, such an act ofirresponsibility by a major power raises questions of its suitability to play aconstructive part in regional and world affairs including in Afghanistan whichshares boarder with China and Pakistan, where a peace deal is being sought withTaliban for preparation of US troops withdrawal from that country.
China scuttled a serious move in UNSC to designate JeM Chiefas an international terrorist. This is an expression of wooly diplomacy andantagonism on the question of peace and war. Masood is the founder and theleader of JEM, and he meets the criteria for designation by the United Nations.JEM has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks and is a threat toregional stability and peace in South Asia.
China was the only country ironically to oppose on the issueof Masood Azhar at the UNSC. The resolution was authored by the US, France andUK. The co-sponsors included Europians, Austrlia, Japan, South AsianAssociation of Regional Co-operation (SAARC) members, Bhutan, Bangladesh andMaldives. China move to hold the listing of Masood as an internationalTerrorist is inconsistent with its own goals of combating terrorism andfurthering regional stability in South Asian region. China’s move hasfrustrated the other members of UNSC.
Outraged by China blocking for the fourth time a move todesignate JeM chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist, responsible UNSC memberswarned they “may be forced to pursue other actions” at the SecurityCouncil if Beijing continued with this policy.
Beijing previously put a technical hold on similar proposalsat the UNSC thrice.
If China continues to block this designation, responsiblemember-states may be forced to pursue other actions at the Security Council. Itshouldn’t have to come to that,” say Security Council diplomats- in anunusually tough warning to China.
The diplomats gave a sense of the feeling of other membersof the Security Council after China blocked the move to designate Azhar aglobal terrorist.
In the aftermath of the Pulwama (Kashmir)terrorist attack,three permanent members of Security Council the US, France, and the UK hadmoved a resolution to designate Azhar a global terrorist. Except for China,which wields veto power in the Security Council, all other UNSC members were onboard with the move before the al-Qaeda (1267) Sanctions Committee.
The diplomats have slammed Pakistan for depending on Chinato protect terrorist groups and leaders that operate from its soil. Pakistanhas quite often depended on China to protect it from the listing ofPakistan-based terrorist groups and individuals in the UN (1267 ) sanctionscommittee.
India is hugely disappointed over China’s decision, but MEA said it will “pursue all available avenues” to bring to justice terrorist leaders involved in the attack on Indians.
Not entirely unexpected, but nonetheless a slap to India’s face after last month’s bloody suicide-bombing in Kashmir. It has raised serious questions about the benefits of Modi’s photo-op diplomacy with Xi Jinping.
This one won’t be undone by another romantic stroll through Wuhan, indicating that such a move by Beijing would only escalate the tension between India and China.
China’s move to hold the listing is inconsistent with its own stated goals of combatting terrorism and furthering regional stability in South Asia.
This is the fourth time that China has placed a hold on this listing. China should not prevent the Committee from doing the job the Security Council has entrusted it to do,” say the security council diplomats.
Trump administration had said that Masood Azhar meets the criteria for designation by the United Nations. Our views on Jaish-e-Mohammad and its founder are well known. “JeM is a UN-designated terrorist group,” State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino told reporters.
The case for designating Masood Azhar the leader of a group the UN already calls an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organization is undeniable. I would say that the United States and China share a mutual interest in achieving regional stability and peace and that a failure to designate Azhar would run counter to this goal,” Palladino said.
Several American think-tank members slammed China for its decision delaying the Azhar listing. Congressman Brad Sherman described the Chinese move as unacceptable.
Today, China doubled down on a very bad bet. It blocked yet another round of UN sanctions on Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar weeks after the group claimed credit for the deadliest terror attack in Kashmir,” Jeff Smith from the Heritage Foundation said. Once again, China has blocked the UN from imposing sanctions on Masood Azhar, the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed, which carried out the Pulwama attack in India in February. This is unacceptable,”he said, adding “I urge Beijing to allow the UN to place sanctions on Azhar, the leader of a UN-recognized terrorist organization.”
China is playing a dangerous game the fallout of which canspell doom for the rest of the world.
(Ashok Bhan is Senior Advocate and International Law Expert)
Ashok Bhan, ashokbhan@rediffmail.com