Masood Azhar
Jaish-e- Muhammed chief Masood Azhar Image Credit - dnaindia.com

India continues to continues to work with the US and France to circumvent Beijing’s brazen defence of the Pakistan- based terrorist Jaish-e Mohammed chief Masood Azhar after China put on hold a proposal to ban again.

the issue has been taken to the Security Council for an open discussion and vote is also an option which could
publicly shame China for their support to a terrorist leader of an outfit, which has been designated by the UN as an terrorist group.

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According to according to diplomatic sources, China only calls the hold technical to buy time and take the sting away from its ‘hold’ on the proposal before finally blocking it, reports TOI.

It has been reported that the US and other nations including France are said to be considering a discussion in the 1267 Sanctions Committee on why listing of Azhar as a global terrorist is being opposed time and again by China.

The report quoting official sources said the government is looking to seek global scrutiny of the position taken by China which provided no reason on Wednesday for its latest ‘technical hold’ on the proposal to totally ban Jaish-e Mohammed chief Masood Azhar.

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The report quoted a diplomatic source as saying: “The Chinese know their action will spark outrage and so try and pass it off as technical. The fact is that they have used the same language in the past (2016 and 2017) to put the proposal on hold only to later kill it.”

The source added:  “An open debate and vote will mean China publicly having to explain its support to an acknowledged terrorist even as other Member States call for his ban.”

An unnamed US diplomat at the Security Council reportedly said if China continues to put on hold a ban on Azhar, the responsible member states may be compelled to pursue other actions at the Council.

the report quoted the diplomat as saying: “Pakistan has quite often depended on China to protect it from the listing of Pakistan-based terrorist groups and individuals in the UN 1267 sanctions committee. The case for designating Masood Azhar – the leader of a group the UN already calls an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organization – is undeniable.”