China may once again block India’s UN move to ban JeM chief

JeM has already been blacklisted by 15-nation Security Council, but not Azhar, a hardliner and long-time foe of India

China may once again block India’s move at the United Nations to put Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar on the Security Council’s blacklist for his alleged involvement in militancy.

China hinted on Tuesday at blocking the ban once again, saying that disagreements continue to prevail in the UN Committee related to terrorism issues in this particular case, according to the Hindustan Times.



“We have talked about our position many times. We believe that the principles of objectivity and professionalism and justice shall be upheld,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang.

Geng was responding to a question whether there can be a forward movement over China’s repeated technical holds to block India’s move to get a UN ban on Azhar. “At present, some members have disagreement over the listing matter. And China stands ready to remain in coordination and communication with the relevant parties on this issue,” said the spokesperson.

Beijing had last year blocked New Delhi’s request to add the JeM chief to a UNSC blacklist of groups linked to al Qaeda. JeM has already been blacklisted by the 15-nation Security Council, but not Azhar, a hardliner and long-time foe of India.



India has long accused Pakistan of using JeM as a proxy to mount attacks on Indian soil, including Indian-occupied Kashmir, and earlier gave what it called “actionable intelligence” to Islamabad, including telephone intercepts.

Pakistan denies giving any aid to Kashmir-based militants. If Azhar was blacklisted by the UN Security Council, he would face a global travel ban and asset freeze.