CHINA’S FAVOURITE TERRORIST
For the second time in two years, an effort to sanction the Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar, who heads the Jaish- e- Mohammad ( JeM), appears to have run into a Chinese wall. On October 30, the Chinese foreign ministry said there were “disagreements” at the UN Security Council 1267 sanctions committee that concerns Al- Qaeda, ISIS and associated groups, over an application filed by the United States, and backed by the UK and France, to list Azhar.
China had placed a “technical hold” earlier this year seeking more information. With the hold expiring on Nov- ember 2, Beijing has indicated it would exercise its veto right to block the listing. “So far, a consensus has yet to be reached by members of the committee,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying about the matter.
The case against Azhar appears clear cut. More pertinently, the very same UNSC committee had already agreed to proscribe Azhar’s organisation, the JeM. And as recently as September, China was among the five BRICS countries that signed a joint statement at the Xiamen summit, identifying the JeM as a ‘ global concern’.
What explains Beijing’s intransigence? Publicly, officials in Beijing claim the lack of “solid proof ” against Masood. “We believe the committee should follow principles of objectivity, professionalism and fairness and reach decisions by consensus based on solid proof,” explained Hua. But given that proof was deemed “solid” for listing the JeM, that makes little sense.
Privately, Chinese officials appear to believe the listing is being driven solely by “political motivations” targeting its all weather ally Pakistan. Last year, senior Chinese official Li Baodong said of the listing that countries “should not pursue political gains in the name of counter- terrorism”. Officials point to the case of the Lashkar- e- Taiba leader Hafiz Saeed who, despite being listed, remains unrestrained in Pakistan, suggesting such sanctions have little real benefit other than political point- scoring.
Chinese officials seem to believe the Masood terror listing demand is driven by “political motivations”
This argument holds little water, Indian officials say, pointing out that brazen Pakistani actions— as in the case of Saeed— are being encouraged by the diplomatic cover China provides. This also contradicts China’s own long- held grouse against Western “double standards” on terrorism in Xinjiang.
What are India’s options? India could submit a third application for Azhar. It may meet a similar fate. But it will, at the very least, serve the purpose of shining the spotlight on China’s unseemly diplomatic manoeuvring on behalf of its “all weather” ally.