China delays bid by US, India to sanction Pakistan militant at UN

China on Wednesday delayed a proposal by the United States and India at the UN Security Council to sanction a top commander in the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad or JeM militant group, diplomats said.

India and the United States wanted JeM terrorist Abdul Rauf Azghar to be subjected to a global travel ban and asset freeze. Such a move has to be agreed upon by all 15 members of a Security Council sanctions committee.

However, the move was stalled by China at UNSC. Defending the move, a spokesperson for China’s mission to the United Nations said that they placed the hold because they need more time to study the case.

Placing holds is provided for by the Committee guidelines, and there have been a number of similar holds by Committee members on listing requests, the spokesperson added.

It may be mentioned here that the US Treasury designated Azhar in 2010, accusing him of urging Pakistanis to engage in militant activities and organize suicide attacks in India.

Asghar, the brother of JeM leader Masood Azhar, is accused of masterminding a number of terror attacks from the IC-814 hijacking in 1999 and the Parliament attack in 2001, to attacks on security force personnel in Pathankot, Pulwama, and other locations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Asghar was arrested by Pakistani authorities in 2019 on more minor terror financing charges, but it is unclear where he is at present.

Significantly, this is the second time China has blocked an India-U.S. listing proposal at the UNSC in two months and comes after China placed a similar hold on the listing of Abdur Rahman Makki, deputy chief of the Lashkar-e-Toiba/Jamaat ud Dawa (LeT/JuD).