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Mandira Nayar
Mandira Nayar

NEW DELHI

China blocks UN proposal to blacklist Masood Azhar

india-china-afp (File) (Representative image) India and China flags | AFP

The dragon has breathed fire yet again. Continuing its stand over 26/11 mastermind Masood Azhar, China chose to block the proposal to list him as a designated terrorist at the 1267 committee of the United Nations.

With China blocking Azhar’s name on the list, this resolution now goes into cold storage. If India wants to continue the process, a fresh resolution will have to be moved.

 “This decision by China is surprising as they themselves have been affected by the scourge of terrorism and has declared opposition to all forms of terrorism,’’ said spokesperson of ministry of external affairs Vikas Swarup.  The inability of the international community to list the head of the Jaish-e-Mohammad “confirms prevalence of double standards in the fight against terrorism’’, said Swarup.

The refusal to brand Azhar a terrorist has become a prickly issue between India and China—and points to heightened tensions between the neighbours. China has been standing firm on the issue of India’s membership to the NSG too. So far, there seems to be no breakthrough in sight. For India—on a mission to isolate Pakistan internationally—having Azhar on the list would have been an important step forward. But with China firmly in Pakistan’s corner, it will be a tough ask for India.

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