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China Again Blocks Bid At UN To List Masood Azhar As Global Terrorist

India has been seeking to designate Azhar has a global terrorist. But China keeps blocking the bid.

File picture of Masood Azhar from the year 2000. (Source: AP/PTI)
File picture of Masood Azhar from the year 2000. (Source: AP/PTI)

In a setback for India, China has yet again put a technical hold on a bid to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist following the Pulwama terror attack.

The proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the U.K. and the U.S. on Feb. 27, days after JeM claimed responsibility for the attack which killed 40 CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama leading to a flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan.

The Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee members had 10 working days to raise any objections to the proposal. The no-objection period deadline was scheduled to end at 3 p.m. New York time on Wednesday.

India's Minsitry of External Affairs said it is disappointed by the outcome but it will continue to pursue other avenues.

The proposal was the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist.

The committee makes its decisions by consensus of its members.

All eyes were on China, which has in the past blocked India’s bids to get Azhar listed as a UN-designated global terrorist thrice.

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