Backing Pakistan, China accuses US on undermining UN anti-terror committee, says ‘act cautiously’

New Delhi, March 28: With the United States passing a resolution at the UN Security Council to list Pakistan based terrorist Masood Azhar, the much-awaited response from China is here. Accusing the US of undermining the UN anti-terror committee by ‘forcefully moving’ resolution against Jaish-e-Mohammad Chief Masood Azhar, China said that America’s move only ‘complicates’ the issue.

 

Seen as a hint by many that China would continue to block the move, the comment on US rightly proves that China is somehow backing Pakistan in safeguarding the terrorist. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing, "This is not in line with resolution of the issue through dialogue and negotiations. This has reduced the authority of the committee as a main anti-terrorism body of the UNSC and this is not conducive to the solidarity and only complicates the issue. We urge the US to act cautiously and avoid forcefully moving forward this resolution draft."

The US circulated a resolution which was drafted with British and French support indicating to the 15-member council that will designate JeM leader Masood Azhar, subjecting him to an arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze.

United States, supported by France and the UK, moved a draft resolution at the UN Security Council to blacklist the Pakistan-based terror group's chief, two weeks after China put a hold on a proposal to list Masood Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Council.

JeM has claimed responsibility for a February 14 attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama that killed at least 40 CRPF personnel, making it the deadliest in Kashmir during a 30-year-long insurgency.