China deflects India’s call for United Nations sanctions on leader of Pakistan-based militants
- Beijing delays vote indefinitely on blacklisting of Masood Azhar, whose group killed dozens of Indian paramilitary police in an attack in Kashmir last month
China has again blocked an Indian request to blacklist the leader of a Pakistan-based militant group that claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on Indian paramilitary police in disputed Kashmir last month.
At a meeting of the United Nations Security Council’s Islamic State and al-Qaeda sanctions committee on Wednesday, the United States, Britain and France backed the request that sanctions be applied to Masood Azhar, founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
But China placed a “technical hold” on the request to the 15-member committee, delaying it indefinitely.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Thursday that the decision was in “full compliance” with the rules and to “avoid adding complex factors that endanger the peace and stability of the region”.
“China conducted a comprehensive and in-depth evaluation of the listing applications submitted by the countries concerned ... We still need more time and thus put forward a technical hold,” Lu said.
India said it was “disappointed” with China’s move, with a diplomatic source saying India presented “video evidence” of JeM’s connections to the attack, the deadliest in the area in 30 years.