India has taken up Masood Azhar's issue with Chinese government, says MEA

New Delhi: Reacting to China opposing US' proposal in the UN for designating Pathankot attack mastermind and Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, India said on Tuesday that it has taken up the matter with Beijing.

"We have been informed of this development and the matter has been taken up with the Chinese government," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

He was asked about India's reaction to US pushing for a ban on Azhar in the UN and China yet again blocking it.

However, he did not elaborate when and where the issue was taken up with China.

According to senior government sources, the US, supported by the UK and France, moved a proposal at the UN's Sanctions Committee 1267 in the second-half of last month to proscribe Azhar, as per PTI.

The proposal, which was finalised after "consultations" between Washington and New Delhi, said JeM is a designated terror outfit and so its leaders cannot go scot-free, sources said.

"However, China opposed the US move by putting a hold on the proposal," a source said, adding the Chinese action came just before the expiry of the 10-day deadline for any proposal to be adopted or blocked or to be put on hold.

The "hold" remains for six months and can be further extended by three months.

During this period, it can be anytime converted into a "block", thereby, ending the life of the proposal.

Last year China blocked India's bid to have Azhar declared an international terrorist by the UN Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee. 

China was the only country among the 15-member Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council that objected to India`s application.

India's application to get Azhar banned had lapsed after two technical holds put up by China in the 1267 Committee. 

The Chinese opposition is also seen by many as an action taken at the behest of its "all-weather ally" Pakistan.

On January 05, China had refuted Indian allegations that it had double standards on terrorism and had said that it took a "just" stand by blocking New Delhi`s bid to list Azhar as a global terrorist.

"Allegation that China adopts double standards on the UN Security Council 1267 committee listing matter does not stand. China takes action based on solid evidence that is the one standard we use," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang had said in Beijing, as per IANS.

Azhar, a resident of Bahawalpur in Pakistan, was one of the three terrorists freed by India in exchange of 166 hostages of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 which was hijacked to Kandahar in December 1999.

Azhar, at that time, belonged to Harkat-ul Mujahideen, and soon after his release, he floated the new outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan which carried out several attacks in India, including on Parliament on December 13, 2001 and Pathankot air base.

(With Agency inputs)