Chinese stand on Azhar certainly shows the country can go to any extent to appease its partner Pakistan. There are still different views on India’s listing application made this March. The technical hold on it will allow more time for the committee to deliberate on the matter and for relevant parties to have further consultations, is what the Chinese stand is on the issue. The explanation however failed to offer suggestions on which countries would want to discuss what aspects of the Indian bid to have Azhar named a global terrorist. China also knows that Azhar is backed by the Pakistani military-dominated establishment, that considers it an ‘all-weather ally’. The ‘globally designated terrorist’ tag from the UN’s counter-terrorism committee, referred to as the 1267 Committee, would make it binding for UN member states to freeze the assets and place other restrictions on such terrorists. India wants this against Masood Azhar. Pakistan, given its investment in him, doesn’t. And China has been shielding Islamabad. India has strongly hit out at Beijing for this escape valve that Beijing continues to provide to Islamabad. It said China’s decision to block its bid would send out a dangerous message. China’s first technical hold on naming Azhar a terrorist came six months ago. India’s application to this end had come following Azhar’s alleged involvement in the Pathankot terrorist attack. China’s extension of the technical hold will last three months. China’s lonesome stand on Masood Azhar’s terrorist credentials is expected to figure again during a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit to be held in Goa on 15th and 16th October. On one side China says it firmly supports combating all forms of terrorism, stronger international cooperation against terrorism, and supports the central and coordinating role of the UN in international counter-terrorism cooperation but on the other it supports terrorists like Azhar openly. The only one logic which stands ground for such dual stand could be the large investment it is having in Pakistan. China’s stand has made Pakistan bolder especially after the global isolation over its continued role in support of terrorism.
