Table of Contents
FRANCE STANDING UP FOR WHAT’S RIGHT
Notwithstanding the Chinese stand, France will move a proposal at the United Nations to ban Masood Azhar.
This will be the second time France will be party to such a proposal at the UN. The US, supported by the UK and France, moved a proposal at the UN’s Sanctions Committee 1267 in 2017 to ban Azhar.However, it was blocked by China. After the Pulwama attack, China has reiterated its earlier position.Another UNSC permanent member, Russia, supports Indian position on Azhar.Besides UN, France will continue to push hard at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) so that Pakistan is not let off the hook India is pushing to blacklist Pakistan over terror funding at the ongoing FATF plenary meeting. Pakistan is currently on the FATF greylist.
BUT CHINA IS ADAMANT
Beijing has refused to lift its “technical hold” on a proposal to declare Azhar a global terrorist under UN Security Council Resolution 1267, which prescribes a sanctions regime against designated terrorists and terrorist groups.
India’s proposal, put forward in February 2016 after the Pathankot attack, to designate Azhar as a global terrorist under the 1267 regime has been blocked four times by China, most recently in January 2017.
WHY IS CHINA SO KEEN TO SHIELD AZHAR?
CPEC CPEC runs across the length of Pakistan, linking Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang province to the Gwadar deep-sea port on the Arabian Sea near Pakistan’s border with Iran.
Chinese firms have invested close to $40 billion in around 45 CPEC projects, about half of which are nearing completion.
WHY IS CHINA SO KEEN TO SHIELD AZHAR?
Good relations with Pakistan, and international protection for ISI proxies like Jaish provide China with insurance against terrorist attacks on CPEC infrastructure and the thousands of Chinese working on them.
DOES CHINA ALSO DO IT ANNOY INDIA?
India is part of a short list of economic giants who have refused to participate in the BRI. New Delhi’s opposition stems from the CPEC, which runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Beijing looks to tie down New Delhi to South Asia using issues like Azhar. By supporting Pakistan on UNSC Resolution 1267 and blocking India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group by tying its bid to Pakistan’s, China seeks to needle and frustrate India.
BUT CAN INDIA DO SOMETHING?
If India keeps on trying, it can work.
Before Azhar, Beijing had blocked on three occasions India’s moves to designate Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed as a terrorist.
But in 2008, as global outrage intensified in the aftermath of the 26/11 attacks, Beijing was forced to back international action against Saeed. But 26/11 was an extraordinary attack; it remains to be seen if India can drum up enough international support over Pulwama to push China on Azhar.
WILL CHINA’S IMAGE TAKE A BEATING?
Yes
Since Jaish has openly claimed the responsibility of the terrorist attack it will be hard for China to defend it
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