China Blocks the Listing of Masood Azhar as Global Terrorist for the Fourth Time

India’s attempt to enlist Masood Azhar, as a global terrorist is time and again made futile by China. This time too, China has blocked the proposal to designate the Chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Masood Azhar as a global terrorist at the United Nations. This was the fourth time, China stood behind this dreaded terrorist and its ‘Iron Brother’ Pakistan.

China has also ignored international efforts to clamp down on cross-border terrorism between India and Pakistan. This is a major setback for India, whose efforts to ban the Pulwama attack mastermind under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council (UNSC) is failed again. 

In a statement released by Ministry of External Affairs, the Government of India said, the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee (1267 Sanctions Committee), upon completion of the no-objection period on 13 March 2019, was not able to come to any decision on the proposal for listing Mohammed Masood Azhar Alvi under the UN Sanctions regime, on account of a member placing the proposal on hold. 

The statement further said, “We are disappointed by this outcome. This has prevented action by the international community to designate the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a proscribed and active terrorist organization that has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 14 February 2019. We are grateful for the efforts of the Member States who moved the designation proposal and the unprecedented number of all other Security Council members as well as non-members who joined as co-sponsors. 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”.

The proposal against Azhar in UN is moved by France and is backed by the US, the UK and Russia. Japan, Australia, Bangladesh, Germany, Poland, Italy and Belgium also supported the proposal.

Almost all the members of the United Nations Security Council had condemned the Pulwama terror strike and held Jaish e Mohammad responsible for it. The United States strongly pushed for the case and Russia tried its best to convince Beijing, but all efforts went futile. 

According to the evidence provided by the P3, the United States, France and the UK at the UNSC, “Azhar founded JEM in 1999. Azhar financially supported Jaish-e Mohammad since it’s founding. Azhar is a former leader of the terrorist group Harakat-ul-Mujahidin, aka Harakat-ul-Ansar. In 2008, JEM recruitment posters contained a call from Azhar for volunteers to join the fight in Afghanistan against western forces”. 

China is a permanent member of the UNSC with veto power. Everyone knows its proximity with Pakistan, which goes more strong with its blocking during three previous attempts to enlist Masood Azhar as a global terrorist in 2009, 2016 and 2017.