Pakistan to China: 'Let UNSC ban Jaish chief Masood Azhar only if...'

Pakistan has told its ally China to lift the block on the United Nations listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist on one condition. The condition of Pakistan is that if India carries out a military de-escalation on the border and resumes dialogues with Islamabad on all outstanding issues including Kashmir on condition of anonymity.

China has been given time to give specific reasons for its technical block on Masood Azhar which runs out this week after which the US will exercise other options, including discussing the matter in the open UN General Assembly, reported HT. This move could embarrass China.

Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed the responsibility of the February 14 Pulwama terror strike in south Kashmir that killed at least 40 CRPF jawans.

According to a report in HT, China is understood to have conveyed Pakistan’s preconditions to the US, Indian and US diplomats based in New York say. However, the Trump administration was not impressed and Washington told Beijing that the blacklisting of Masood Azhar and the resumption of the India-Pakistan bilateral dialogue are not linked in any way.

For the fourth time, China put a technical block on Masood Azhar’s listing by the UNSC, a proposal by permanent members US-France-UK on March 13. The three key members of P-5 of the UNSC asked China to come up with specific reasons for the hold in Azhar’s blocking in two weeks.

As the deadline expires this week and China has to respond with its reason for the block. US counter-terror representatives have signalled their intent to designate Azhar as a global terrorist, the diplomats added.