Beijing has once again blocked New Delhi’s move to get Jaish chief Azhar listed by UN as a global terrorist. Yet there are some takeaways for India in the way it has lobbied support. Where can this lead to?
How often has China blocked UN action against Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Masood Azhar?
In the last 10 years, China has repeatedly blocked India’s listing proposals at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1267 sanctions committee to designate Azhar as a global terrorist. Beijing blocked it for the first time in 2009, after India had moved the proposal in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attack. In February 2016, after the Pathankot attack, India put forward a fresh proposal. China intervened at Pakistan’s behest and placed a technical hold on India’s move, and did so again in October 2016. It subsequently used its veto power to block the proposal in December 2016, a day before the end of the technical hold. Following a proposal by the US, the UK and France on January 19, 2017 to designate Azhar as a terrorist China once again employed a technical hold and blocked the proposal in November 2017.
So, India was prepared to see China doing so again?
There were indications, in the form of continuous and consistent statements from Beijing about “rules and procedures”. So, when Beijing finally placed a technical hold just about an hour before the deadline for no objections, New Delhi would have been prepared for such an outcome.
Is this latest move different from the previous occasions when China acted similarly?
This latest move is significant. In 2009 and 2016, it was India that had moved the proposal.
This had prompted China and Pakistan to build a narrative that New Delhi was trying to
score political points over Islamabad. So in 2017, when India asked its influential strategic
partners US, UK and France to move the proposal, it negated the narrative that it was a
India-Pakistan tussle and was rather placed as the international community’s fight against
terrorism.
This time, India not only got the same three countries to move the proposal but also
involved 10 more countries as co-sponsors. Besides the US, the UK and France, which are
permanent UNSC members, the other 10 countries included four non-permanent UNSC
members – Germany, Poland, Belgium and Equatorial Guinea – as well as Japan, Australia,
Italy, Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan.
What is significant is that the Quad members – US, Japan and Australia – have co-sponsored
the proposal, in a sign of a strategic alignment. This helps India’s case that the listing of
Masood Azhar is a global cause, and a key element of the global fight against terrorism.
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