China changed its stance on Masood Azhar after Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale's visit
Vijay Gokhale-Wang Yi
After years of efforts by India, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar has been designated a global terrorist by the UN under the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 1267.
Azhar’s JeM was behind the Pulwama terrorist attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel in February.
China had put a hold in March on a fresh proposal by the US, UK and France to impose a ban on the chief of the JeM which claimed responsibility for the deadly Pulwama terror attack.
Three UNSC members — US, UK and France — have been pursuing the case with China over the last two months, while New Delhi has also been engaging separately with Beijing.
India has always maintained that China should list Azhar since he is the leader of a terrorist group that has already been proscribed by the UN.
China’s turnaround came after Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale’s visit to Beijing last week, where India shared details of all the evidence on Masood Azhar, including links to the February 14 Pulwama attack for which the JeM had claimed responsibility.
During his visit, Gokhale met Chinese officials including Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.
A statement from India's external affairs ministry said, "We have shared with China all pieces of evidence of terrorist activities of Jaish-e-Mohammad and its leader Masood Azhar. It is now for the 1267 Sanctions Committee and other authorized bodies of the U.N. to take a decision on the listing of Masood Azhar. "
The British High Commissioner Sir Dominic Asquith last week speaking to reporters expressed optimism on the listing of Azhar and said, "We are strong supporters of listing of Masood Azhar for a decade. So that we will get to that conclusion shortly."