NEW DELHI: Intense Indian diplomacy to put Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar on the global terrorist list, came to nought on Wednesday with China placing a technical hold on the proposal at the UN Security Council meet in New York.The proposal was moved by France, the UK and the US on February 27, after a Jaish suicide bomber killed 40 CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.The UNSC sanctions committee members had 10 working days to raise objections to the proposal. Shortly before the no-objection deadline ended at 3 pm New York time on Wednesday, China placed the technical hold.
This is the fourth time in 10 years that China has blocked UN action against Azhar. Foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale, who is in Washington as part of the annual strategic dialogue, has been meeting several senior administration and government officials to convince China not to block the proposal again.
A disappointed foreign office later said, “We will continue to pursue all available avenues to ensure that terrorist leaders who are involved in heinous attacks on our citizens are brought to justice.”
Thanking countries that piloted the proposal to designate Azhar as a terrorist, the foreign office pointed to the “unprecedented number of all other Security Council members as well as non-members who joined as co-sponsors”.
China had earlier hinted that it would exercise its veto, though it was under pressure from the US and France. “Azhar is the founder and the leader of the JeM, and he meets the criteria for designation by the United Nations,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday. “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,” he said. The first proposal to proscribe Azhar was moved by India in 2009.
The four attempts
In 2009, India moved first proposal to designate Azhar
Second proposal came in 2016, with India moving it along with the United States, the United Kingdom and France in the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee. It came after the Pathankot attack
In 2017, P3 nations moved a similar proposal. China blocked its adoption
2019 proposal blocked on Wednesday
UN designation as global terrorist results in assets freeze of the proscribed entity. It includes financial and economic resources
A global travel ban on the entry into or transit by all nations also comes into play
All countries are required to prevent the direct or indirect supply of arms to the specified entity