China blocks move to list Masood Azhar as global terrorist

China on Thursday said it has blocked another bid by the US, France and the UK to list Pakistan-based JeM chief and Pathankot terror attack mastermind Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN, saying “there is no consensus”.

A veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, China has repeatedly blocked India’s move to put a ban on the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Council. JeM has already been in its banned list.

China had in August extended by three months its technical hold on the the US, France and UK-backed proposal to list Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN after having blocked the move in February this year at the United Nations.

“China has rejected the move as there is no consensus,” sources in the Chinese Foreign Ministry told PTI here.

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The comment came as the China’s technical hold on a proposal by the US, France and Britain to list Azhar as a global terrorist was set to lapse on Thursday.

It appears that China will veto the application in the 1267 Committee of the UN Security Council to allow it to lapse.

This is the second year in succession that China has blocked the resolution. Last year, China had done the same to stall India’s application before the same Committee.

Last year in March, China was the only member in the 15-nation UN organ 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.

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