On Thursday, a statement issued by China foreign ministry said that it needs more time to conduct a “thorough, in-depth investigation on the matter of listing Jaish-e-Mohammad Chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.”
This has been the first official statement from China after it blocked a UN proposal to list the Jaish Chief as a global terrorist. This time, the proposal was moved by France, UK and the United States. Lu Kang, a foreign ministry spokesperson said, “China stand is in line with the rules and procedures of the UN sanctions committee...technical hold is to ensure that China has enough time to study the matter.” The statement came hours after China blocked Masood Azhar listing as a terrorist for the fourth time.
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Soon after China blocked the move, a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs expressed its disappointment.“We are disappointed by this outcome. This has prevented action by the international community to designate the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a proscribed and active terrorist organization which has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 14 February 2019”, the statement said.
At the same time, the statement also expressed its gratitude towards the member states that had moved the designation proposal and the “unprecedented number of all other Security Council members as well as non-members who joined as co-sponsors”. The statement further said that India would continue to “pursue all available avenues to ensure that terrorist leaders who are involved in heinous attacks on our citizens are brought to justice”.