"China will not block India's bid to have Maulana Masood Azhar designated as terrorist by the UN"

NSA Ajit Doval at Valour Day function organised by CRPF

Shailesh Kumar, 

NEW DELHI, 09 April 2016

A top Indian Government source has informed this correspondent that India is hopeful that China will not block its bid to have JeM Chief Maulana Masood Azhar designated as terrorist by the UN. “I think it will be done”, said the source, when asked if India will rake up the issue of Chinese vetoing Maulana Masood Azhar’s designation as terrorist by UN during the upcoming visit of National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, to China.  

The souce has confirmed that India will take up the issue of China blocking its bid to have Pakistan-based terror group JeM chief Masood Azhar designated as terrorist by the UN when NSA Ajit Doval travels to the China next week. India is hopeful that the Chinese veto on Maulana Masood Azhar issue will be sorted out.

Top government sources said today the National Security Advisor will bring up the topic during his meeting with his counterpart and State Councillor Yang Jiechi when he meets him in China for a strategic dialogue.

NSA Doval was scheduled to hold these talks in January 2016 but had cancelled the visit to Beijing in the wake of the Pathankot terror attack. Among other security issues, boundary talks are also expected to be held between the two countries.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar early this week had said that India has taken up at a "fairly high level" with China the issue of Beijing blocking its bid to have Azhar designated as terrorist by the UN but the issue will not "overflow" into other areas of bilateral ties. Foreign Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, is also expected to rake up the issue with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, whom she will be meeting on the sidelines of a trilateral in Moscow on 18 April.

NSA Ajit Doval giving away gallantry awards on CRPF
Shaurya Diwas (Valour Day)

Last week, China stopped UN sanctions committee from designating Azhar as terrorist, maintaining that the case "did not meet the requirements" of the Security Council. China is expected to inform India about some short comings in procedural requirements in order to have Azhar being declared a terrorist but would subsequently likely to unblock India’s bid, said a strategic expert.  In Lakhvi’s case also, China had pursued the same game and vetoed.

The UN had banned the JeM in 2001 but India's efforts for slapping sanctions on Azhar after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack also did not fructify as China, that has veto powers, did not allow it apparently at the behest of Pakistan again.

The source has also informed that India’s policy vis-a vis Pakistan at present is that of “wait and watch”. “We are doing good in terms of policy implementation towards Pakistan”, said the source in Modi Government when asked about Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit's comments indicating that Indian investigators may not be allowed to visit Pakistan to pursue the probe in connection with the Pathankot terror attack.  

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