Bad news for India: Pakistan's all-weather friend China likely to block Masood Azhar's terrorist tag

Just hours before the crucial UN vote, China has hinted that it will block the resolution declaring Masood Azhar as a ‘global terrorist.’ Spokesperson of Chinese foreign ministry reportedly said that "the solution that is acceptable to all sides" is necessary to find a resolution to UNSC Masood Azhar issue. The proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, UK and the US on February 27. "I could reiterate that China will continue to adopt responsible attitude and participate in the deliberations in the UNSC 1267 Committee," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India in Beijing.

"The discussions, I want to say must follow the rules and procedures of the relevant bodies and only the solution that is acceptable to all sides is conducive for resolving the issue," he added. The latest statement shows Beijing has not changed its position on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief. China, which is one of the five veto-powered members of the Security Council, so far has been asserting that there is not enough evidence against Azhar to designate him as a global terrorist.

Amidst a mounting global outrage in the wake of the Pulwama attack that led to a flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan, US, Britain and France hope that Beijing would act wisely and would not oppose their move this time to designate Azhar as a global terrorist. On the eve of the crucial decision by the UN Security Council, the Trump Administration on Tuesday made it clear that there is enough evidence against Azhar to designate him as a global terrorist.

"Azhar is the founder and the leader of the JeM, and he meets the criteria for designation by the United Nations," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino told reporters at his daily news conference.