China again blocks proposal at UN to list Masood Azhar as a designated terrorist

China on Friday once again blocked India’s proposal at United Nations Security Council to list JeM Chief Masood Azhar as a designated terrorist. 

Earlier in the day, China said India that should conform to relevant UN resolutions on listing Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, a day before its technical hold blocking India's move to get him proscribed by the UN expires.

"I have repeated a number of times, when it comes to the listing matter of the UN Security Council 1267 Committee, we believe it should conform with relevant Security Council resolutions and the Committee's rules of procedure," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told PTI.

Hua, however, said she has to verify what China will do when its second technical hold ends.

She had given the same response on December 2 while reacting to India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) charge-sheeting Azhar in the Pathankot attack case.

"Listing in the 1267 Committee must be in line with the relevant resolutions of the UNSC and the rules of procedure of the Committee," Hua said.

China, a veto wielding member of the UNSC, had blocked India's move with a six month technical hold followed by a three month extension.

Officials in Beijing say that India may have to apply again to the 1267 Committee with the charge sheet details to press for its case as its present application will lapse following Beijing's two technical holds.

The two countries have been holding talks on the issue as well as India's application to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The talks have not made much headway as China on December 12 had said there is no change in its stand on both the cases.

The UN had banned the JeM in 2001 but India's efforts for a ban on Azhar after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack also did not fructify as China did not allow the ban apparently at the behest of Pakistan again.

China was the only member in the 15-nation UN body to put a hold on India's application with all other 14 members of the Council supporting New Delhi's bid to place Azhar on the 1267 sanctions list that would subject him to an assets freeze and travel ban.