Sushma asks China to shun double standards on terror
OBJECTION In face-to-face meeting, foreign minister slams veto on blacklisting Azhar
NEW DELHI: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj raised the issue of China blocking India’s attempts to have Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar blacklisted by the United Nations, telling her counterpart from Beijing that terrorism was an issue on which the world cannot afford double standards.
Swaraj made the objection when she met Wang Yi on the sidelines of the RussiaIndia-China (RIC) meeting of foreign ministers.
“I have told the Chinese foreign minister that if we are to fight terrorism unitedly, then China should review its position at the UN,” Swaraj said after the meeting.
China vetoed India’s bid to have Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief and Pathankot terror attack mastermind Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist by the UN sanctions committee. It said that India’s case “did not meet the requirements” of the Security Council despite the US, UK and France being on New Delhi’s side.
This is not the first time that China has blocked India’s bid to get Pakistan-based militant groups and leaders proscribed by the UN.
The UN had banned the JeM in 2001 but India’s efforts to impose sanctions on Azhar after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks also did not fructify as China, which has veto powers, did not allow it apparently at the behest of Pakistan.
Last July, China had similarly halted India’s move in the UN to take action against Pakistan for its release of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zaki-urRehman Lakhvi.
Addressing the meet, the external affairs minister called on the RIC countries to lead the way in getting the international community together to counter terrorism through joint action, including at the UN.
“If we continue to adopt double standards in dealing with terrorism, it will have serious consequences not just for our own countries, but the international community as a whole,” she said.