India Thursday hit out at China for its remarks that there was no consensus over the US&rsquo; proposal to ban Pathankot attack mastermind and JeM chief Masood Azhar at the UN, saying if there is a change in the Chinese position, there will be a consensus as well.&nbsp;

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup also said the matter has been taken up with the Chinese Ambassador here and a similar demarche is being made in Beijing.

Observing that the proposal was not moved by India but by three permanent members of the UN Security Council &ndash; the US, the UK and France, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup described it as a &ldquo;classic counter-terrorism proposal&rdquo; and hoped that China will also come around to accept this view.

&ldquo;It is our understanding that this was a classic counter- terrorism proposal meant to proscribe a dreaded terrorist leader Masood Azhar whose organisation the Jaish-e-Mohammad has already been proscribed by the UN 1267 Committee.

&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t view this as a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan but as an issue of global counter-terrorism. We hope that eventually, China will also come around to accepting this view. Obviously, if there is a change in the Chinese position, there will be consensus also,&rdquo; he said.

India&rsquo;s sharp reaction came a day after China defended its decision to block the US-initiated proposal in the UN fordesignating Azhar as a global terrorist, saying the &ldquo;conditions&rdquo; have not yet been met for Beijing to back the move.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang had also told a media briefing in Beijing that his government resorted to this move to allow the &ldquo;relevant parties&rdquo; to reach a consensus.

&ldquo;We put out technical hold after we had several rounds of consultations with India. We hope relevant parties have enoughtime to consult with each other to make sure that the decision made by the Committee will be based on consensus representing the broad international community,&rdquo; he said.

Swarup also said the proposal was submitted on January 19 after induction of four new members to the UN Security Council.

China has put a &ldquo;hold&rdquo; on the US-initiated proposal, which comes barely weeks after India&rsquo;s bid to get Azhar banned by the UN was scuttled by Beijing last December. This has prompted India to take up the matter with the Chinese government. 
 
(PTI)

India said the only country that was opposing its move to designate Masood Azhar a terrorist was China

India Thursday hit out at China for its remarks that there was no consensus over the US’ proposal to ban Pathankot attack mastermind and JeM chief Masood Azhar at the UN, saying if there is a change in the Chinese position, there will be a consensus as well. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup also said the matter has been taken up with the Chinese Ambassador here and a similar demarche is being made in Beijing. Observing that the proposal was not moved by India but by three permanent members of the UN Security Council – the US, the UK and France, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup described it as a “classic counter-terrorism proposal” and hoped that China will also come around to accept this view. “It is our understanding that this was a classic counter- terrorism proposal meant to proscribe a dreaded terrorist leader Masood Azhar whose organisation the Jaish-e-Mohammad has already been proscribed by the UN 1267 Committee. “We don’t view this as a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan but as an issue of global counter-terrorism. We hope that eventually, China will also come around to accepting this view. Obviously, if there is a change in the Chinese position, there will be consensus also,” he said. India’s sharp reaction came a day after China defended its decision to block the US-initiated proposal in the UN fordesignating Azhar as a global terrorist, saying the “conditions” have not yet been met for Beijing to back the move. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang had also told a media briefing in Beijing that his government resorted to this move to allow the “relevant parties” to reach a consensus. “We put out technical hold after we had several rounds of consultations with India. We hope relevant parties have enoughtime to consult with each other to make sure that the decision made by the Committee will be based on consensus representing the broad international community,” he said. Swarup also said the proposal was submitted on January 19 after induction of four new members to the UN Security Council. China has put a “hold” on the US-initiated proposal, which comes barely weeks after India’s bid to get Azhar banned by the UN was scuttled by Beijing last December. This has prompted India to take up the matter with the Chinese government. (PTI)

India slams China for saying 'no consensus' at UN to ban Masood Azhar

China today defended its decision to block the US&#39; proposal in the UN Security Council to designate the chief of the terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar a global 
terrorist, saying the &quot;conditions&quot; have not yet been met for Beijing to back the move.

Asked about the significance of US pushing for a ban against Azhar, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang clarified that &quot;the committee has its own set of discussion rules&quot;.

Lu Kang told the press that Beijing had put a technical hold for the third time on the attempt to designate Azhar a terrorist since it wanted to allow &quot;relevant parties&quot; to reach a consensus.

Lu also claimed that the decision to put a technical hold on India&#39;s applications to designate Masood Azhar a terrorist was done after &quot;several rounds of consultations with India&quot;.

&quot;We put out technical hold after we had several rounds of consultations with India. We hope relevant parties have enough time to consult with each other to make sure that the decision made 
by the Committee will be based on consensus representing the broad international community,&quot; he said.

&quot;Last year 1,267 Committee of the UN Security Council discussed the issue regarding listing Masood (Azhar) in the sanctions list. There were different views with no consensus reached,&quot; Lu 
said.

&quot;As for the submission once again by relevant countries to list him in the sanctions list, I would say the conditions are not yet been met for the Committee to reach a decision,&quot; he said.

&quot;China has put the request on technical hold, to allow the relevant parties more time to consult with each other. This is also in line with rules of the relevant resolutions of the Security Council 
and the rules of the discussion of the Committee,&quot; he said.

&quot;So, whoever submitted the request we believe all the members of the committee will act in line with regulations of the Security Council and its affiliations,&quot; he said. 
&nbsp;

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Asked about whether China&#39;s relations with India would be impacted, he said, Beijing and New Delhi &quot;have exchanged views&quot; on the issue. &quot;We don&#39;t hope it will have a negative impact on our 
relationship.&quot;

The foreign ministry spokesperson also defended the criticism that his country was continuously blocking the move at the behest of Pakistan.

&quot;China&#39;s action in the Security Council and its affiliations are in line with the regulations and procedures,&quot; Lu said.

China has put a &quot;hold&quot; on the US-initiated proposal, which comes barely weeks after India&#39;s bid to get Azhar banned by the UN were scuttled by Beijing last December. This has prompted India to take up the matter with the Chinese government.

On whether the issue on the ban on Azhar can be resolved this year since it has dragged into the second year, Lu said, &quot;It is not the length of time.&quot;

&quot;It is a matter of time whether a consensus can be reached on the basis of full consultations.&quot; Asked to identify specific reasons for blocking Azhar&#39;s ban, Lu said, &quot;Consultations in the 
Security Council and internal discussions of its affiliations has its own set of discussion rules.&quot;

The US, supported by two other permanent members of UN Security Council -- UK and France- moved the proposal at the UN&#39;s Sanctions Committee 1267 to proscribe Azhar last month.

The proposal, which was finalised after &quot;consultations&quot; between Washington and New Delhi, said since JeM is a designated terror outfit, its leaders cannot go scot-free.&nbsp;It was submitted just a day before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;The JeM was designated a terrorist outfit by the UN in 2001.&nbsp;

India wrote to the UN last year in February calling for immediate action to list Azhar under the al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, after the attack on the IAF base at Pathankot in January 2016.

It met with stiff opposition from China which twice put a &quot;technical hold&quot; on India&#39;s efforts in March and October last year before blocking India&#39;s request in December 2016.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

China's foreign ministry spokesperson said it was waiting for 'relevant parties' to reach a consensus on the matter

China today defended its decision to block the US' proposal in the UN Security Council to designate the chief of the terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist, saying the "conditions" have not yet been met for Beijing to back the move. Asked about the significance of US pushing for a ban against Azhar, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang clarified that "the committee has its own set of discussion rules". Lu Kang told the press that Beijing had put a technical hold for the third time on the attempt to designate Azhar a terrorist since it wanted to allow "relevant parties" to reach a consensus. Lu also claimed that the decision to put a technical hold on India's applications to designate Masood Azhar a terrorist was done after "several rounds of consultations with India". "We put out technical hold after we had several rounds of consultations with India. We hope relevant parties have enough time to consult with each other to make sure that the decision made by the Committee will be based on consensus representing the broad international community," he said. "Last year 1,267 Committee of the UN Security Council discussed the issue regarding listing Masood (Azhar) in the sanctions list. There were different views with no consensus reached," Lu said. "As for the submission once again by relevant countries to list him in the sanctions list, I would say the conditions are not yet been met for the Committee to reach a decision," he said. "China has put the request on technical hold, to allow the relevant parties more time to consult with each other. This is also in line with rules of the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the rules of the discussion of the Committee," he said. "So, whoever submitted the request we believe all the members of the committee will act in line with regulations of the Security Council and its affiliations," he said. Asked about whether China's relations with India would be impacted, he said, Beijing and New Delhi "have exchanged views" on the issue. "We don't hope it will have a negative impact on our relationship." The foreign ministry spokesperson also defended the criticism that his country was continuously blocking the move at the behest of Pakistan. "China's action in the Security Council and its affiliations are in line with the regulations and procedures," Lu said. China has put a "hold" on the US-initiated proposal, which comes barely weeks after India's bid to get Azhar banned by the UN were scuttled by Beijing last December. This has prompted India to take up the matter with the Chinese government. On whether the issue on the ban on Azhar can be resolved this year since it has dragged into the second year, Lu said, "It is not the length of time." "It is a matter of time whether a consensus can be reached on the basis of full consultations." Asked to identify specific reasons for blocking Azhar's ban, Lu said, "Consultations in the Security Council and internal discussions of its affiliations has its own set of discussion rules." The US, supported by two other permanent members of UN Security Council -- UK and France- moved the proposal at the UN's Sanctions Committee 1267 to proscribe Azhar last month. The proposal, which was finalised after "consultations" between Washington and New Delhi, said since JeM is a designated terror outfit, its leaders cannot go scot-free. It was submitted just a day before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump. The JeM was designated a terrorist outfit by the UN in 2001. India wrote to the UN last year in February calling for immediate action to list Azhar under the al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, after the attack on the IAF base at Pathankot in January 2016. It met with stiff opposition from China which twice put a "technical hold" on India's efforts in March and October last year before blocking India's request in December 2016. (WION with inputs from PTI)

'Technical hold' on Masood ban done after consultations with India: China

The US has moved the United Nations to ban Jaish-e-Mohammed&nbsp;chief Masood Azhar but China has opposed the move, PTI reports.

India&#39;s repeated attempts to get him declared a UN-designated terrorist have been blocked by China.

Masood Azhar, who heads the terrorist organistaion Jaish-e-Mohammed, is allegedly the mastermind of the&nbsp;attack on the Pathankot airbase in India last year.&nbsp;Masood&#39;s Jaish-e-Mohammed is also linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.&nbsp;

In October 2016, China had blocked India&#39;s appeal to the United Nations to label Masood a terrorist. This time,&nbsp;in a first, the US administration headed by President Trump has moved the United Nations to declare Masood a terrorist.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency&#39;s(NIA) special court in India today&nbsp;issued proclamation order against JeM&#39;s chief Maulana Masood Azhar and three others, news agencies reported.&nbsp;

PTI quoting senior government sources said, the US, supported by two other permanent members of UN Security Council - the UK and France - moved a proposal at the UN&#39;s Sanctions Committee 1267 in the second-half of the last month to proscribe Azhar, adding India had no role in the proposal.

The proposal, which was finalised after &quot;consultations&quot; between Washington and New Delhi, said JeM is a designated terror outfit and so its leaders cannot go scot-free, sources told PTI. It was submitted just a day before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, according to officials.

&nbsp;

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We&#39;ve been informed of this development.Taken up matter with Chinese Govt-V Swarup on China blocking US&#39; move at UN for banning Masood Azhar <a href="https://t.co/QSbta679ZR">pic.twitter.com/QSbta679ZR</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/828956016859451393">February 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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(WION with inputs from PTI)

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India's repeated attempts to get Masood Azhar declared a UN-designated terrorist have been blocked by China

The US has moved the United Nations to ban Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar but China has opposed the move, PTI reports. India's repeated attempts to get him declared a UN-designated terrorist have been blocked by China. Masood Azhar, who heads the terrorist organistaion Jaish-e-Mohammed, is allegedly the mastermind of the attack on the Pathankot airbase in India last year. Masood's Jaish-e-Mohammed is also linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. In October 2016, China had blocked India's appeal to the United Nations to label Masood a terrorist. This time, in a first, the US administration headed by President Trump has moved the United Nations to declare Masood a terrorist. Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency's(NIA) special court in India today issued proclamation order against JeM's chief Maulana Masood Azhar and three others, news agencies reported. PTI quoting senior government sources said, the US, supported by two other permanent members of UN Security Council - the UK and France - moved a proposal at the UN's Sanctions Committee 1267 in the second-half of the last month to proscribe Azhar, adding India had no role in the proposal. The proposal, which was finalised after "consultations" between Washington and New Delhi, said JeM is a designated terror outfit and so its leaders cannot go scot-free, sources told PTI. It was submitted just a day before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, according to officials. We've been informed of this development.Taken up matter with Chinese Govt-V Swarup on China blocking US' move at UN for banning Masood Azhar pic.twitter.com/QSbta679ZR — ANI (@ANI_news) February 7, 2017 × (WION with inputs from PTI)

US moves UN to ban JeM chief Masood Azhar, China opposes

Terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the 2016 attacks in Uri and Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir and not Jaish-e-Muhammad as was previously believed, India&#39;s anti-terror agency said.&nbsp; 
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Investigation reveals that LeT was behind Uri and Handwara(J&amp;K) attacks and not JeM: NIA sources
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/821967141461053440">January 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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India&#39;s National Investigation Agency&#39;s preliminary investigation had indicated that Jaish-e-Muhammad orchestrated a deadly attack on an Indian army installation in September 2016, killing 19 soldiers, which eventually exacerbated relations between India and Pakistan.&nbsp; 
 
Nearly three weeks later, three militants engaged in a fierce gunbattle with India troops in Handwara. The gunmen were eventually gunned down by Indian soldiers and a huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from them.&nbsp;

But the volte-face in NIA&#39;s findings suggest that Hafiz Saeed-led Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been blamed for several fidayeen attacks including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, were responsible for the attacks in restive Kashmir.

Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba has routinely attacked India over the years as it attempts to &quot;liberate&quot; Kashmir from India. LeT has been recognised as a terrorist organisation by India, the United States, Russia and the European Union.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the NIA&#39;s initial report believes JeM to be responsible for November&#39;s Nagrota attack that claimed the loss of seven Indian soldiers.

Kashmir was a crucible of lethal fidayeen attacks last year, especially after a commander of pro-Kashmir freedom organisation Burhan Wani was killed by Indian security forces in an encounter and India allegedly carried out surgical strikes to neutralise terror camps based in Pakistan.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from ANI) 
&nbsp;

The findings buttress India's claim that Pakistan is supporting terror groups wage lethal attacks on India

Terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the 2016 attacks in Uri and Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir and not Jaish-e-Muhammad as was previously believed, India's anti-terror agency said. Investigation reveals that LeT was behind Uri and Handwara(J&K) attacks and not JeM: NIA sources — ANI (@ANI_news) January 19, 2017 × India's National Investigation Agency's preliminary investigation had indicated that Jaish-e-Muhammad orchestrated a deadly attack on an Indian army installation in September 2016, killing 19 soldiers, which eventually exacerbated relations between India and Pakistan. Nearly three weeks later, three militants engaged in a fierce gunbattle with India troops in Handwara. The gunmen were eventually gunned down by Indian soldiers and a huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from them. But the volte-face in NIA's findings suggest that Hafiz Saeed-led Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been blamed for several fidayeen attacks including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, were responsible for the attacks in restive Kashmir. Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba has routinely attacked India over the years as it attempts to "liberate" Kashmir from India. LeT has been recognised as a terrorist organisation by India, the United States, Russia and the European Union. Meanwhile, the NIA's initial report believes JeM to be responsible for November's Nagrota attack that claimed the loss of seven Indian soldiers. Kashmir was a crucible of lethal fidayeen attacks last year, especially after a commander of pro-Kashmir freedom organisation Burhan Wani was killed by Indian security forces in an encounter and India allegedly carried out surgical strikes to neutralise terror camps based in Pakistan. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Lashkar behind Uri, Handwara attacks in Kashmir, not Jaish: India's anti-terror agency

UN Security Council (UNSC) member France has backed India&#39;s proposal to designate Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist, days after China blocked India&#39;s move.

French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that since Masood Azhar&#39;s JeM had already been designated a terrorist organisation, there were &quot;very strong arguments in favour&quot; of such a move.

&nbsp;&quot;Jaish-e-Mohammad is already included in the (Sanctions) Committee&#39;s list of terrorist organisations, therefore, there are very strong arguments in favour of listing its chief, as India has requested,&quot; the French foreign minister, who is on a four-day visit to India said.

Without naming China directly, he said: &quot;The international community&#39;s determination to combat terrorism must be the same everywhere, regardless of the threat.&quot;

&quot;That&#39;s why&quot;, he said, France not only supported but also co-sponsored the Indian request at the UNSC.

In February 2015, India submitted a proposal to the 15-member 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UNSC to list Azhar as an international terrorist for allegedly masterminding the attack on an airbase in Pathankot in 2015.

China imposed a &quot;technical hold&quot; on the Indian proposal twice before blocking it on December 30, the only country to do so.

&quot;We regret that, despite our joint efforts and wide support from the Committee, unanimity could not be reached,&quot; said Ayrault, whose country is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

He said France will now discuss with India what should be done. &quot;India knows it can count on our support,&quot; he added.

The French foreign minister, whose country has faced a number of terror attacks over the last few years, pitched for a &quot;decisive action&quot; against &nbsp;Pakistan-based terror groups like LeT, JeM and Hizbul Mujahideen which are &quot;targeting&quot; India.

&quot;France has very firmly condemned the terrorist attacks against India, including the recent one in Uri, and reiterated its full solidarity with India in its combat against terrorism,&quot; he said.

He emphasised that all countries should fight effectively against terrorism &quot;originating from their territory or territories under their control&quot;.

&quot;We particularly want to see decisive action taken, in keeping with international law, against terrorist groups targeting India, particularly the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen,&quot; he said in an obvious reference to Pakistan from where these outfits are believed to have been operating.

The French minister also defended the Indian Army&#39;s &#39;&quot;surgical strikes&quot; against terrorist camps across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in September 2016.

&quot;Nothing can justify terrorism, which must be fought everywhere with equal determination. When a country is faced with a terrorist threat of this nature, it has the 
right to defend itself,&quot; he said.

Ayrault also spoke about the scope of cooperation between India and his country in combating terror. &quot;France and India are both victims of terrorism, and they are in full solidarity vis-a-vis this scourge,&quot; he said, adding that the fight against terrorism is one of the cornerstones of India and France&#39;s strategic partnership.

In concrete terms, he said, France and India hold &quot;constant and very operational exchanges&quot; on the terrorist threat.

&quot;We have a bilateral working group that brings together all the players concerned over counter-terrorism, and, among others, cooperation with regard to investigations and between our respective intervention units, the GIGN from the French side, and the National Security Guards from the Indian side. I welcome the development of all these cooperations,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Azhar, a resident of Bahawalpur in Pakistan, was one of the three terrorists freed by India in exchange of 166 hostages of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 which was hijacked to Kandahar in December 1999.

At that time, Azhar was a member of the Harkat-ul Mujahideen, and soon after his release, he floated the Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan which carried out several attacks in India, including on the Parliament in December 2001.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

 
&nbsp;

Its foreign minister said there were 'very strong arguments' to blacklist Masood as his group is already considered a terrorist organisation

UN Security Council (UNSC) member France has backed India's proposal to designate Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist, days after China blocked India's move. French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that since Masood Azhar's JeM had already been designated a terrorist organisation, there were "very strong arguments in favour" of such a move. "Jaish-e-Mohammad is already included in the (Sanctions) Committee's list of terrorist organisations, therefore, there are very strong arguments in favour of listing its chief, as India has requested," the French foreign minister, who is on a four-day visit to India said. Without naming China directly, he said: "The international community's determination to combat terrorism must be the same everywhere, regardless of the threat." "That's why", he said, France not only supported but also co-sponsored the Indian request at the UNSC. In February 2015, India submitted a proposal to the 15-member 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UNSC to list Azhar as an international terrorist for allegedly masterminding the attack on an airbase in Pathankot in 2015. China imposed a "technical hold" on the Indian proposal twice before blocking it on December 30, the only country to do so. "We regret that, despite our joint efforts and wide support from the Committee, unanimity could not be reached," said Ayrault, whose country is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. He said France will now discuss with India what should be done. "India knows it can count on our support," he added. The French foreign minister, whose country has faced a number of terror attacks over the last few years, pitched for a "decisive action" against Pakistan-based terror groups like LeT, JeM and Hizbul Mujahideen which are "targeting" India. "France has very firmly condemned the terrorist attacks against India, including the recent one in Uri, and reiterated its full solidarity with India in its combat against terrorism," he said. He emphasised that all countries should fight effectively against terrorism "originating from their territory or territories under their control". "We particularly want to see decisive action taken, in keeping with international law, against terrorist groups targeting India, particularly the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen," he said in an obvious reference to Pakistan from where these outfits are believed to have been operating. The French minister also defended the Indian Army's '"surgical strikes" against terrorist camps across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in September 2016. "Nothing can justify terrorism, which must be fought everywhere with equal determination. When a country is faced with a terrorist threat of this nature, it has the right to defend itself," he said. Ayrault also spoke about the scope of cooperation between India and his country in combating terror. "France and India are both victims of terrorism, and they are in full solidarity vis-a-vis this scourge," he said, adding that the fight against terrorism is one of the cornerstones of India and France's strategic partnership. In concrete terms, he said, France and India hold "constant and very operational exchanges" on the terrorist threat. "We have a bilateral working group that brings together all the players concerned over counter-terrorism, and, among others, cooperation with regard to investigations and between our respective intervention units, the GIGN from the French side, and the National Security Guards from the Indian side. I welcome the development of all these cooperations," he said. Azhar, a resident of Bahawalpur in Pakistan, was one of the three terrorists freed by India in exchange of 166 hostages of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 which was hijacked to Kandahar in December 1999. At that time, Azhar was a member of the Harkat-ul Mujahideen, and soon after his release, he floated the Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan which carried out several attacks in India, including on the Parliament in December 2001. (WION with inputs from PTI)

France backs India's bid to designate Masood Azhar as terrorist by UN

China has stonewalled India&#39;s request to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad chief&nbsp;Maulana Masood Azhar, New Delhi said, in a move that could ratchet up tensions between the two countries.

India has been pushing to include the Jaish leader&#39;s name in the&nbsp;UN Security Council blacklist of groups linked to al Qaeda.

New Delhi believes Azhar orchestrated a deadly&nbsp;attack on an Indian air base in January.

China had previously put a &#39;technical hold&#39; on the move in April.

While Jaish-e-Mohammad has been blacklisted by the UN Security Council, its chief is yet to be red-flagged.

&quot;We had expected China would have been more understanding of the danger posed to all by terrorism,&quot; Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup&nbsp;said in a statement.

Swarup added that the inability of the international community to take the step showed the &quot;prevalence of double standards in the fight against terrorism&quot;.

The spokesperson added that New Delhi was surprised by Beijing&#39;s decision.

China&#39;s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment late on Friday evening.

China had two options in front of them -- either to prolong the &quot;hold&quot;, which would mean that Azhar would be banned due to activation of UNSC&#39;s resolution 1267, or &quot;block&quot; India&#39;s effort.&nbsp;

India has long accused its neighbour Pakistan of using Jaish-e-Mohammad as a front to mount attacks on Indian soil, including in the disputed Kashmir region.&nbsp;Pakistan, however, denies giving any aid to Kashmir-based militants.

If Azhar was blacklisted by the UN Security Council, he would face a global travel ban and asset freeze.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

China, which put a 'technical hold' on the move in April, has now blocked it, India's foreign ministry said

China has stonewalled India's request to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar, New Delhi said, in a move that could ratchet up tensions between the two countries. India has been pushing to include the Jaish leader's name in the UN Security Council blacklist of groups linked to al Qaeda. New Delhi believes Azhar orchestrated a deadly attack on an Indian air base in January. China had previously put a 'technical hold' on the move in April. While Jaish-e-Mohammad has been blacklisted by the UN Security Council, its chief is yet to be red-flagged. "We had expected China would have been more understanding of the danger posed to all by terrorism," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said in a statement. Swarup added that the inability of the international community to take the step showed the "prevalence of double standards in the fight against terrorism". The spokesperson added that New Delhi was surprised by Beijing's decision. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment late on Friday evening. China had two options in front of them -- either to prolong the "hold", which would mean that Azhar would be banned due to activation of UNSC's resolution 1267, or "block" India's effort. India has long accused its neighbour Pakistan of using Jaish-e-Mohammad as a front to mount attacks on Indian soil, including in the disputed Kashmir region. Pakistan, however, denies giving any aid to Kashmir-based militants. If Azhar was blacklisted by the UN Security Council, he would face a global travel ban and asset freeze. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

China blocks India's request for UN to blacklist JeM chief Masood Azhar

Even as India names Jaish-e-Mohammad chief in the charge sheet for master-minding attack on an Indian Airforce base in Pathankot earlier this year, Maulana Masood Azhar continues to freely run the terror group&#39;s online publication and brazenly claim responsibility for last month&#39;s attack on another military camp in Nagrota from Pakistan.

Following an 11-month investigation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has named Azhar and his brother JeM&#39;s deputy chief Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar both resident of Bahawalpur, Pakistan along with six other members of the terrorist group for planning and carrying an attack in Pathankot on January 2. This is the first time India has charge-sheeted Azhar on terror offence, following his release in exchange of victims of Kandahar hijack.

Since the Pathankot attack, Pakistan Prime Minister&#39;s foreign affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz claimed that Azhar was under &#39;protective custody&#39; since January 2014. But this has not restricted the head of the proscribed terror group to propagate jihad against India or own credit for the attacks by its cadres. Earlier this month, writing in the December 6 issue of al Qalam weekly, an online media arm of the JeM, Azhar talks about significance of Babri Masjid demolition and hanging of Afzal Guru in the continuance of jihad, demonetisation not impacting funding of militancy and the Nagrota attack.

&quot;This week&#39;s publication was delayed as the attack in Nagrota was still in action at the time of writing and communication failure (on details of the attack) from Kashmir,&#39;&#39; Azhar wrote under his pen name Saadi. On November 29, three militants entered the army camp in Nagrota killing seven personnel. The militants left behind posters claiming the attack as a revenge for hanging of Afzal Guru.

Elaborating on the attack in the &#39;heart of the Northern Command of the Indian Army&#39;, Azhar says the attack was carried by the Afzal Guru squad involving five militants and two of them managed to escape to safety. &quot;There were three security cordons around the camp... it is not easy and inexpensive to gain entry and set the stage for the attack.&quot; He indicates that the squad was helped by people with close knowledge on the geography of the camp and who are its frequent visitors, as any strange man walking a few steps could be caught and killed by the Army.

Addressing an important aspect, on where did the money to buy equipment or prepare for the attack come from, Azhar says the demonetisation of high currency denomination has not deterred the Kashmiri mujaheeds nor has impacted the funding for militancy. The money changers and industrialists, Azhar says were aware of demonetisation before its public announcement by PM Narendra Modi. &quot;The Kashmiri Mujahideen, Maoists and Khalistan fighters will not suffer any financial hardship. We are able to get the small currency by exchanging dollars, pounds and euro easily. The Nagrota attack is an evidence for this.&quot;

Invoking the demolition of Babri Masjid and Afzal Guru&#39;s death, Azhar says these two events have shaped the narrative of `Ghazwa-e-Hind&#39; or the jihad against India. &quot;India could&#39;ve stopped the demolition of Babri Masjid, but it did not. It could have stopped the hanging of Guru, but it did not. There is now no power in India that can stop their revenge.&#39;&#39;

The Indian government is desperately trying to include Azhar on the UN Security Council&#39;s 1267 sanctions list and subject him to an assets freeze and travel ban. JeM is already proscribed by the UNSC in 2001 for its terror activities and links to the al-Qaeda. China has so far vetoed India&#39;s appeal to that would declare him as an international terrorist.

&nbsp;

(This first appeared &nbsp;in &nbsp;DNA)

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Three militants had entered the Indian army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Nagrota killing seven personnel on November 29

Even as India names Jaish-e-Mohammad chief in the charge sheet for master-minding attack on an Indian Airforce base in Pathankot earlier this year, Maulana Masood Azhar continues to freely run the terror group's online publication and brazenly claim responsibility for last month's attack on another military camp in Nagrota from Pakistan. Following an 11-month investigation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has named Azhar and his brother JeM's deputy chief Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar both resident of Bahawalpur, Pakistan along with six other members of the terrorist group for planning and carrying an attack in Pathankot on January 2. This is the first time India has charge-sheeted Azhar on terror offence, following his release in exchange of victims of Kandahar hijack. Since the Pathankot attack, Pakistan Prime Minister's foreign affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz claimed that Azhar was under 'protective custody' since January 2014. But this has not restricted the head of the proscribed terror group to propagate jihad against India or own credit for the attacks by its cadres. Earlier this month, writing in the December 6 issue of al Qalam weekly, an online media arm of the JeM, Azhar talks about significance of Babri Masjid demolition and hanging of Afzal Guru in the continuance of jihad, demonetisation not impacting funding of militancy and the Nagrota attack. "This week's publication was delayed as the attack in Nagrota was still in action at the time of writing and communication failure (on details of the attack) from Kashmir,'' Azhar wrote under his pen name Saadi. On November 29, three militants entered the army camp in Nagrota killing seven personnel. The militants left behind posters claiming the attack as a revenge for hanging of Afzal Guru. Elaborating on the attack in the 'heart of the Northern Command of the Indian Army', Azhar says the attack was carried by the Afzal Guru squad involving five militants and two of them managed to escape to safety. "There were three security cordons around the camp... it is not easy and inexpensive to gain entry and set the stage for the attack." He indicates that the squad was helped by people with close knowledge on the geography of the camp and who are its frequent visitors, as any strange man walking a few steps could be caught and killed by the Army. Addressing an important aspect, on where did the money to buy equipment or prepare for the attack come from, Azhar says the demonetisation of high currency denomination has not deterred the Kashmiri mujaheeds nor has impacted the funding for militancy. The money changers and industrialists, Azhar says were aware of demonetisation before its public announcement by PM Narendra Modi. "The Kashmiri Mujahideen, Maoists and Khalistan fighters will not suffer any financial hardship. We are able to get the small currency by exchanging dollars, pounds and euro easily. The Nagrota attack is an evidence for this." Invoking the demolition of Babri Masjid and Afzal Guru's death, Azhar says these two events have shaped the narrative of `Ghazwa-e-Hind' or the jihad against India. "India could've stopped the demolition of Babri Masjid, but it did not. It could have stopped the hanging of Guru, but it did not. There is now no power in India that can stop their revenge.'' The Indian government is desperately trying to include Azhar on the UN Security Council's 1267 sanctions list and subject him to an assets freeze and travel ban. JeM is already proscribed by the UNSC in 2001 for its terror activities and links to the al-Qaeda. China has so far vetoed India's appeal to that would declare him as an international terrorist. (This first appeared in DNA)

India: JeM chief Masood Azhar claims Nagrota attack

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed a chargesheet in connection with the Pathankot airbase terror attack, and named Pakistan-based jihadi group? Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar.

Three other JeM terrorists have also been named in the chargesheet filed in Panchkula special court, reported PTI.

In a pre-dawn attack on January 2, a group of heavily- armed Pakistani terrorists, suspected to be belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit, struck at the Air Force base in Pathankot.

The evidence is said to include some voice recordings and the cellular phone numbers of the attackers&#39; handlers, which were traced to Pakistan.

The attack occurred just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a &quot;surprise&quot;&nbsp;visit to Sharif on his birthday on December 25 and the occasion of his granddaughter&#39;s wedding -- a move that appeared to bring the promise of better ties between the two countries in the future.

However, despite the Pathankot visit of the five-member Joint Investigation Team&nbsp;of Pak Punjab government headed by Counter Terrorist Department&#39;s&nbsp; Additional Inspector General of Police,&nbsp;Tahir Rai, no progress has been made in the investigation so far.

(This first appeared on DNA)

Three other JeM terrorists have also been named in the chargesheet filed in Panchkula special court

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed a chargesheet in connection with the Pathankot airbase terror attack, and named Pakistan-based jihadi group? Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar. Three other JeM terrorists have also been named in the chargesheet filed in Panchkula special court, reported PTI. In a pre-dawn attack on January 2, a group of heavily- armed Pakistani terrorists, suspected to be belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit, struck at the Air Force base in Pathankot. The evidence is said to include some voice recordings and the cellular phone numbers of the attackers' handlers, which were traced to Pakistan. The attack occurred just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a "surprise" visit to Sharif on his birthday on December 25 and the occasion of his granddaughter's wedding -- a move that appeared to bring the promise of better ties between the two countries in the future. However, despite the Pathankot visit of the five-member Joint Investigation Team of Pak Punjab government headed by Counter Terrorist Department's Additional Inspector General of Police, Tahir Rai, no progress has been made in the investigation so far. (This first appeared on DNA)

Pathankot airbase attack: NIA files chargesheet, names Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar

India&#39;s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday sanctioned the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to prosecute Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and three others for attacking an &nbsp;Indian Air Force base in Pathankot earlier this year.

Azhar is also wanted by India for the attack on an army base in Uri in September. JeM terrorists are believed to be behind the attack that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers.

Kashmir-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed is viewed by the Indian intelligence agencies as the principal terrorist organisation in Jammu and Kashmir.

The group has been deemed as a terror outfit by India and US.

After the Pathankot attack, which claimed the lives of six soldiers, India had approached the UN Security Council (UNSC) to designate Azhar a terrorist, submitting a detailed dossier of his terrorist activities since 1993.

Its efforts were blocked by China, a permanent member of the UNSC and a key ally of Pakistan, which put the application on &#39;technical hold&#39; at the last minute. China was the only member of the 15-member UNSC to do so.

Besides India, the US, the UK and France had also &quot;co-sponsored&quot; the resolution seeking Azhar&#39;s listing as a terrorist.

After the Pathankot&nbsp;attack, a joint investigation team from Pakistan arrived in India for conducting a probe into the attack. However, after they returned, they claimed that India did not co-operate in the investigations and wanted to tarnish its image. 
&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Masood Azhar's Jaish-e-Mohammed been deemed as a terror outfit by India and US

India's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday sanctioned the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to prosecute Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and three others for attacking an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot earlier this year. Azhar is also wanted by India for the attack on an army base in Uri in September. JeM terrorists are believed to be behind the attack that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers. Kashmir-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed is viewed by the Indian intelligence agencies as the principal terrorist organisation in Jammu and Kashmir. The group has been deemed as a terror outfit by India and US. After the Pathankot attack, which claimed the lives of six soldiers, India had approached the UN Security Council (UNSC) to designate Azhar a terrorist, submitting a detailed dossier of his terrorist activities since 1993. Its efforts were blocked by China, a permanent member of the UNSC and a key ally of Pakistan, which put the application on 'technical hold' at the last minute. China was the only member of the 15-member UNSC to do so. Besides India, the US, the UK and France had also "co-sponsored" the resolution seeking Azhar's listing as a terrorist. After the Pathankot attack, a joint investigation team from Pakistan arrived in India for conducting a probe into the attack. However, after they returned, they claimed that India did not co-operate in the investigations and wanted to tarnish its image. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India's NIA to prosecute JeM chief Masood Azhar for Pathankot terrorist attack

Former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf has described Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a &quot;terrorist&quot;, saying he has been involved in bomb blasts even in his country. He, however, he did not give a clear reply as to why Pakistan has not been asking China to get Azhar declared as an international terrorist by the United Nations.

&quot;Why should China be involved when it has nothing to do with him (Azhar),&quot; Musharraf told News Nation, according to a release issued by the TV channel.

A proposal is pending before the UN Security Council for declaring Azhar as an international terrorist, but China has been blocking it, claiming that there is not enough evidence to prove that he is a terrorist. When asked about the espionage case busted on Thursday in Delhi involving an employee of the Pakistan High Commission, the former Pakistan Army Chief initially parried the issue saying, &quot;I am not aware of it&quot;. But then he added that &quot;if at all it has happened, (it) shouldn&#39;t be encouraged&quot;, the release said. It also quoted Musharraf as saying that the Nawaz Sharif government lacks aggression.

The channel said Musharraf accepted Pakistan government&#39;s diplomatic failure on international front. He, however, said it does not mean that Pakistan should be taken for granted.

To a question on whether a political leadership or Army is better suited for Pakistan s development, Musharraf said the country had witnessed growth when Army was in power. When asked about terror camps in PoK, he feigned ignorance saying &quot;I don&#39;t know&quot;. However, with a smile, he said, &quot;I will let you know only once I get the count of these camps which you are talking about&quot;.

On Pakistan&#39;s diminishing relations with United States, he said there are certain contentious issues which are being addressed by Pakistan Army. When referred to the &#39;surgical strike&#39; and military might of India, he said, Pakistan is a nuclear power with a strong army which can&#39;t be bullied.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s sudden visit to Pakistan and his meeting with Sharif, he said shaking hands is just an artificial move, but for a formal solution, something concrete needs to be done.

(PTI)

The former Pakistan president said Azhar has been involved in bomb blasts even in Pakistan

Former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf has described Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a "terrorist", saying he has been involved in bomb blasts even in his country. He, however, he did not give a clear reply as to why Pakistan has not been asking China to get Azhar declared as an international terrorist by the United Nations. "Why should China be involved when it has nothing to do with him (Azhar)," Musharraf told News Nation, according to a release issued by the TV channel. A proposal is pending before the UN Security Council for declaring Azhar as an international terrorist, but China has been blocking it, claiming that there is not enough evidence to prove that he is a terrorist. When asked about the espionage case busted on Thursday in Delhi involving an employee of the Pakistan High Commission, the former Pakistan Army Chief initially parried the issue saying, "I am not aware of it". But then he added that "if at all it has happened, (it) shouldn't be encouraged", the release said. It also quoted Musharraf as saying that the Nawaz Sharif government lacks aggression. The channel said Musharraf accepted Pakistan government's diplomatic failure on international front. He, however, said it does not mean that Pakistan should be taken for granted. To a question on whether a political leadership or Army is better suited for Pakistan s development, Musharraf said the country had witnessed growth when Army was in power. When asked about terror camps in PoK, he feigned ignorance saying "I don't know". However, with a smile, he said, "I will let you know only once I get the count of these camps which you are talking about". On Pakistan's diminishing relations with United States, he said there are certain contentious issues which are being addressed by Pakistan Army. When referred to the 'surgical strike' and military might of India, he said, Pakistan is a nuclear power with a strong army which can't be bullied. On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's sudden visit to Pakistan and his meeting with Sharif, he said shaking hands is just an artificial move, but for a formal solution, something concrete needs to be done. (PTI)

JeM chief Masood Azhar is a 'terrorist': Pervez Musharraf

In a crack down on terror financing, Pakistan&#39;s central bank, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday froze bank accounts of over 5,100 terror suspects in the country, including that of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, The News reported.

The Pakistan interior ministry provided three different lists naming thousands of suspects, including kingpins of some outlawed organisations to the central bank.&nbsp;

The blockade by the Pakistani authorities will off cut major funding for the terror organisations as the bank accounts held net amount worth Rs 400 million.

Masood Azhar, currently under &quot;protective custody&quot;, was included in the category &#39;A&#39; list of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, which enlists high risk terrorists, said a senior official of the bank, who is also part of the team monitoring the progress on the decision.&nbsp;

&quot;It happened since the government put the JeM chief under &#39;protective custody&#39; of security agencies after terrorists attacked the Pathankot air base,&quot; the officials said.

Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were suspected of carrying out the attack on the Pathankot air base in India in January, following which new Delhi had written to the United Nations calling for immediate action to list the group&#39;s chief, Azhar under the UN Sanctions Committee.&nbsp;

The country&#39;s National Counter-terrorism Authority (Nacta) had sent around 5,500 names to the SBP earlier this month, they said. The national coordinator of the agency, Ihsan Ghani confirmed that over 5,000 accounts had been frozen and said he would release details of Azhar&#39;s accounts later this week.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI) 
&nbsp;

The central bank, on request from Pakistan's interior ministry, froze bank accounts worth Rs 400 million, including those of terror kingpins

In a crack down on terror financing, Pakistan's central bank, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday froze bank accounts of over 5,100 terror suspects in the country, including that of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, The News reported. The Pakistan interior ministry provided three different lists naming thousands of suspects, including kingpins of some outlawed organisations to the central bank. The blockade by the Pakistani authorities will off cut major funding for the terror organisations as the bank accounts held net amount worth Rs 400 million. Masood Azhar, currently under "protective custody", was included in the category 'A' list of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, which enlists high risk terrorists, said a senior official of the bank, who is also part of the team monitoring the progress on the decision. "It happened since the government put the JeM chief under 'protective custody' of security agencies after terrorists attacked the Pathankot air base," the officials said. Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were suspected of carrying out the attack on the Pathankot air base in India in January, following which new Delhi had written to the United Nations calling for immediate action to list the group's chief, Azhar under the UN Sanctions Committee. The country's National Counter-terrorism Authority (Nacta) had sent around 5,500 names to the SBP earlier this month, they said. The national coordinator of the agency, Ihsan Ghani confirmed that over 5,000 accounts had been frozen and said he would release details of Azhar's accounts later this week. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Pakistan freezes bank accounts of Jaish chief Masood Azhar and 5,100 other terror suspects

The United States once again urged Pakistan to combat and delegitimise all terrorist groups operating on its soil on Friday. In a daily briefing, the US state department spokesman Mark Toner called on Pakistan to do more to crack down on extremism.&nbsp;

&quot;Obviously Pakistan has suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists and violent extremists. We want to help Pakistan confront this terrorist threat,&quot; he said in response to a question.&nbsp;

Evading the question about Washington&#39;s position on China&#39;s veto against the United Nations resolution on designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a terrorist, Toner said thousands of innocent people have been killed in the name of terrorism and we want Pakistan to go after those terrorists who seek and sometimes find safe haven on Pakistan territory.

China was the sole member to support&nbsp;Pakistan in the 15-nation United Nations Security Council, extending its&nbsp;&ldquo;technical hold&rdquo; on India&rsquo;s efforts for a UN ban against Masood Azhar.

On Friday, the United States had branded Jamaat-ul-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed as an avowed terrorist, asserting that both him and the Lashkar-e-Toiba are designated by the Barack Obama-led Government and have the blood of several innocents on their hands.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Putting pressure on Islamabad to crack down against extremism, the US asked Pakistan to delegitimse all terror groups operating on its soil

The United States once again urged Pakistan to combat and delegitimise all terrorist groups operating on its soil on Friday. In a daily briefing, the US state department spokesman Mark Toner called on Pakistan to do more to crack down on extremism. "Obviously Pakistan has suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists and violent extremists. We want to help Pakistan confront this terrorist threat," he said in response to a question. Evading the question about Washington's position on China's veto against the United Nations resolution on designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a terrorist, Toner said thousands of innocent people have been killed in the name of terrorism and we want Pakistan to go after those terrorists who seek and sometimes find safe haven on Pakistan territory. China was the sole member to support Pakistan in the 15-nation United Nations Security Council, extending its “technical hold” on India’s efforts for a UN ban against Masood Azhar. On Friday, the United States had branded Jamaat-ul-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed as an avowed terrorist, asserting that both him and the Lashkar-e-Toiba are designated by the Barack Obama-led Government and have the blood of several innocents on their hands. (WION)

US tells Pakistan to delegitimise all terrorist groups

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met today&nbsp;for the ninth time in over two years but the salubrious weather in western Indian state of Goa&nbsp;did not appear to bridge the chasm that divides the two Asian neighbours.

&nbsp;

Modi and Xi agreed to disagree on issues that are of immediate concern to India, namely India&#39;s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the proposed United Nations ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who India accuses of having had a hand in a series of terrorist attacks in India, including the September 18 Uri attack in northernmost state of Jammu and Kashmir.

&nbsp;

Indian ministry of external affairs spokesperson, Vikas Swarup, told reporters that Modi spoke &quot;frankly&quot; about the need for finding a common ground on the proposed UN ban on Masood Azhar.

&nbsp;

&quot;China has proposed that second round of consultations on the NSG issue will be held soon. Also, Chinese state councillor Yanj Jiechi can be expected to hold talks with national security adviser AK Doval,&quot; he said.

&nbsp;

India, Swarup added, has had a &quot;continuous dialogue&quot; with China on terrorism and it remains hopeful of China&#39;s cooperation on these and other issues bilateral, regional and global issues of interest to both Beijing and New Delhi.

&nbsp;

Modi has pursued high-velocity diplomacy, logging frequent flyer miles along the way but his attempts to forge a modus vivendi with Beijing has come unstuck and in the process exposed the limits of his personalised diplomacy.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In fact, in the run-up to the Modi-Xi Goa meet, Beijing pre-empted New Delhi by iterating its positions on NSG and Masood Azhar, partly in deference to the sentiments of its all-weather ally Pakistan but also as a lever to pin India down geopolitically in South Asia.

&nbsp;

Modi&#39;s first meeting with Xi after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power was at the BRICS Summit hosted by Brazil in July 2014. &nbsp;Modi invited Xi to Gujarat&nbsp;in September the same year in an apparent effort to extricate the Sino-Indian ties from a diplomatic cul-de-sac and introduce an element of personalised diplomacy into India&#39;s foreign policy.

&nbsp;

Although Modi has met both Xi and US President Barack Obama eight times each, his personal chemistry with Xi couldn&#39;t really take off. This, in spite of Modi and Xi sharing some similarities. For one, both have risen to the pinnacle of their political careers around the same time. Both appear to revel in popular nationalism.

&nbsp;

As Avinash Godbole writes in a paper for the New Delhi-based Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), Xi and Modi enjoy a significant mandate as the leaders of their respective constituents. &quot;There is [also] the case of their overlapping foreign policies that focus on neighbourhoods and a vocal approach to engagements,&quot; Godbole points out.

&nbsp;

However, Modi&#39;s engagements with Putin stand in sharp contrast to Xi. Modi and Putin share some personality traits, including their penchant for a muscular approach to diplomacy -- Ukraine in the case of Putin and Pakistan so far as Modi is concerned. It helps that India&#39;s ties with Russia stand on a different pedestal than China.

&nbsp;

As foreign secretary of India, S Jaishankar points out, Russia has been a time-tested partner and friend of India and it is reflected in Putin&#39;s &quot;unequivocal condemnation&quot; of terrorism directed against India. Diplomats everywhere are not seldom given to making off-the-cuff remarks, so when Jaishankar uses the phrase &quot;a meeting of minds&quot; to describe the Modi-Putin talks, it assumes a special significance of its own.

&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp;

Indian PM and Chinese President met today and agreed to disagree on issues that are of immediate concern to India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met today for the ninth time in over two years but the salubrious weather in western Indian state of Goa did not appear to bridge the chasm that divides the two Asian neighbours. Modi and Xi agreed to disagree on issues that are of immediate concern to India, namely India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the proposed United Nations ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who India accuses of having had a hand in a series of terrorist attacks in India, including the September 18 Uri attack in northernmost state of Jammu and Kashmir. Indian ministry of external affairs spokesperson, Vikas Swarup, told reporters that Modi spoke "frankly" about the need for finding a common ground on the proposed UN ban on Masood Azhar. "China has proposed that second round of consultations on the NSG issue will be held soon. Also, Chinese state councillor Yanj Jiechi can be expected to hold talks with national security adviser AK Doval," he said. India, Swarup added, has had a "continuous dialogue" with China on terrorism and it remains hopeful of China's cooperation on these and other issues bilateral, regional and global issues of interest to both Beijing and New Delhi. Modi has pursued high-velocity diplomacy, logging frequent flyer miles along the way but his attempts to forge a modus vivendi with Beijing has come unstuck and in the process exposed the limits of his personalised diplomacy. In fact, in the run-up to the Modi-Xi Goa meet, Beijing pre-empted New Delhi by iterating its positions on NSG and Masood Azhar, partly in deference to the sentiments of its all-weather ally Pakistan but also as a lever to pin India down geopolitically in South Asia. Modi's first meeting with Xi after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power was at the BRICS Summit hosted by Brazil in July 2014. Modi invited Xi to Gujarat in September the same year in an apparent effort to extricate the Sino-Indian ties from a diplomatic cul-de-sac and introduce an element of personalised diplomacy into India's foreign policy. Although Modi has met both Xi and US President Barack Obama eight times each, his personal chemistry with Xi couldn't really take off. This, in spite of Modi and Xi sharing some similarities. For one, both have risen to the pinnacle of their political careers around the same time. Both appear to revel in popular nationalism. As Avinash Godbole writes in a paper for the New Delhi-based Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), Xi and Modi enjoy a significant mandate as the leaders of their respective constituents. "There is [also] the case of their overlapping foreign policies that focus on neighbourhoods and a vocal approach to engagements," Godbole points out. However, Modi's engagements with Putin stand in sharp contrast to Xi. Modi and Putin share some personality traits, including their penchant for a muscular approach to diplomacy -- Ukraine in the case of Putin and Pakistan so far as Modi is concerned. It helps that India's ties with Russia stand on a different pedestal than China. As foreign secretary of India, S Jaishankar points out, Russia has been a time-tested partner and friend of India and it is reflected in Putin's "unequivocal condemnation" of terrorism directed against India. Diplomats everywhere are not seldom given to making off-the-cuff remarks, so when Jaishankar uses the phrase "a meeting of minds" to describe the Modi-Putin talks, it assumes a special significance of its own. (WION)

Modi-Xi talks hint at limits of personalised diplomacy

Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar has urged Pakistan to show &quot;courage&quot; by allowing jihadi&nbsp;fighters to enter Kashmir and &quot;resolve the issue once and for all&quot;.

In a column published on the front page of the Jaish mouthpiece al-Qalam, Azhar wrote Islamabad&#39;s pro-jihad policy in Kashmir in the 1990s had weakened India&#39;s military capability, saying it had been reduced&nbsp;from a &quot;serpent to an earthworm&quot;.

Jaish-e-Mohammad, a jihadist organisation determined to liberate Kashmir from India, has been blamed by New Delhi for waging the deadly attack on an Indian Army installation in Uri, Kashmir, on September 18.&nbsp;

Azhar&nbsp;also slammed the Pakistani establishment for its recent dithering policies.

He said Pakistan, not India, should have &quot;cancelled the SAARC conference&quot;.

Azhar&#39;s exhortations come days after reports emerged about friction between the civilian government and the army over the latter&#39;s seemingly pro-jihadi policies.

According to a recent report penned by Dawn&#39;s Cyril Almeida, the civilian government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had asked the army to not protect Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi.

But Azhar in his column stressed that allowing jihadi groups to enter Kashmir would put India under pressure, saying the &quot;bitter memories of 1971&quot; would be &quot;dissolved into the triumphant emotions of 2016&quot;.&nbsp;

He said the Indian army was not particularly strong, as evidenced by the Pathankot and Uri attacks on Indian Army installations, which killed three and 18 security personnel respectively. &quot;What remained of its military prowess was exposed in Pathankot and Uri,&rdquo; he wrote.&nbsp;

(WION)

Masood Azhar slams Islamabad for going soft on India, days after the government reportedly asked the army to swoop on homegrown jihadis

Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar has urged Pakistan to show "courage" by allowing jihadi fighters to enter Kashmir and "resolve the issue once and for all". In a column published on the front page of the Jaish mouthpiece al-Qalam, Azhar wrote Islamabad's pro-jihad policy in Kashmir in the 1990s had weakened India's military capability, saying it had been reduced from a "serpent to an earthworm". Jaish-e-Mohammad, a jihadist organisation determined to liberate Kashmir from India, has been blamed by New Delhi for waging the deadly attack on an Indian Army installation in Uri, Kashmir, on September 18. Azhar also slammed the Pakistani establishment for its recent dithering policies. He said Pakistan, not India, should have "cancelled the SAARC conference". Azhar's exhortations come days after reports emerged about friction between the civilian government and the army over the latter's seemingly pro-jihadi policies. According to a recent report penned by Dawn's Cyril Almeida, the civilian government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had asked the army to not protect Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi. But Azhar in his column stressed that allowing jihadi groups to enter Kashmir would put India under pressure, saying the "bitter memories of 1971" would be "dissolved into the triumphant emotions of 2016". He said the Indian army was not particularly strong, as evidenced by the Pathankot and Uri attacks on Indian Army installations, which killed three and 18 security personnel respectively. "What remained of its military prowess was exposed in Pathankot and Uri,” he wrote. (WION)

Jaish chief tells Pakistan to let militants enter Kashmir and 'resolve issue'

The Pakistani government has told its army that it wishes to crack down on people thought by India and the United States to be terrorists, the&nbsp;Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported Thursday.&nbsp;The demand is&nbsp;unprecedented.

Pakistan foreign secretary Aizaz Chaudhry told the security establishment at the All Parties&#39; Conference on Monday&nbsp;that the government wished to take action against Masood Azhar and his outfit the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hafiz Saeed and his Lashkar-e-Taiba, and the Haqqani network, the Dawn reported.

Islamabad also underlined its intention to speed up&nbsp;the investigation into the attack on the Pathankot air base (in India) in 2016 and to resume the currently-suspended 2008 Mumbai attacks-related trials.

The Dawn reported that the Pakistani military told the government in reply that it was free to arrest whomsoever it wished to; to which the government -- in the form of Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, he is also Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif&#39;s younger brother&nbsp;&nbsp;--&nbsp;replied that each time it tried to take action against &quot;certain groups&quot;,&nbsp;the military &quot;has worked behind the scenes to set the arrested free&quot;.&nbsp;

The government then asked the military not to shield people who are perceived by the international community to be terrorists.

The Dawn reported the&nbsp;foreign secretary as saying it was important this was done because of Pakistan&#39;s&nbsp;growing international isolation.&nbsp;

The Dawn also quoted unnamed&nbsp;sources&nbsp;at the meeting&nbsp;as saying that&nbsp;the foreign secretary had said even China has privately expressed its concerns about Islamabad&#39;s policy on terrorism.

The foreign secretary was reported to have said that even&nbsp;China has asked Pakistan why it was&nbsp;protecting JeM leader Masood Azhar, who is wanted by India for a string of terrorist attacks in the&nbsp;country, the Dawn quoted its sources as saying.&nbsp;

New Delhi believes Azhar masterminded the Uri attack in Kashmir last month and the attack on the&nbsp;Indian Parliament in December 2001.

China&#39;s hesitancy in&nbsp;supporting&nbsp;Pakistan, coupled with intense international pressure, has compelled the civilian government to take a hard line against terrorism.

While India has long demanded action against Hafiz Saeed &mdash; he is believed to have orchestrated the 2008 Mumbai attacks &mdash;&nbsp;and Azhar and their militant groups, the US has wanted Pakistan to clamp down on the dreaded Haqqani network, an Afghaninsurgent group fighting NATO forces.

The high-stakes meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Sharif and included senior cabinet&nbsp;officials. The military was represented by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general Rizwan Akhtar.

Both the military and the government, however, have refused to confirm the contents of the meeting.

The government&#39;s surprise decision to sharpen the rules of engagement with the army is fraught with risks&nbsp;for the latter is widely perceived to be stronger than the democratically- elected government of Pakistan.

(WION)

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The move is unprecedented, for the military is widely perceived to be stronger than the democratically-elected government

The Pakistani government has told its army that it wishes to crack down on people thought by India and the United States to be terrorists, the Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported Thursday. The demand is unprecedented. Pakistan foreign secretary Aizaz Chaudhry told the security establishment at the All Parties' Conference on Monday that the government wished to take action against Masood Azhar and his outfit the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hafiz Saeed and his Lashkar-e-Taiba, and the Haqqani network, the Dawn reported. Islamabad also underlined its intention to speed up the investigation into the attack on the Pathankot air base (in India) in 2016 and to resume the currently-suspended 2008 Mumbai attacks-related trials. The Dawn reported that the Pakistani military told the government in reply that it was free to arrest whomsoever it wished to; to which the government -- in the form of Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, he is also Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's younger brother -- replied that each time it tried to take action against "certain groups", the military "has worked behind the scenes to set the arrested free". The government then asked the military not to shield people who are perceived by the international community to be terrorists. The Dawn reported the foreign secretary as saying it was important this was done because of Pakistan's growing international isolation. The Dawn also quoted unnamed sources at the meeting as saying that the foreign secretary had said even China has privately expressed its concerns about Islamabad's policy on terrorism. The foreign secretary was reported to have said that even China has asked Pakistan why it was protecting JeM leader Masood Azhar, who is wanted by India for a string of terrorist attacks in the country, the Dawn quoted its sources as saying. New Delhi believes Azhar masterminded the Uri attack in Kashmir last month and the attack on the Indian Parliament in December 2001. China's hesitancy in supporting Pakistan, coupled with intense international pressure, has compelled the civilian government to take a hard line against terrorism. While India has long demanded action against Hafiz Saeed — he is believed to have orchestrated the 2008 Mumbai attacks — and Azhar and their militant groups, the US has wanted Pakistan to clamp down on the dreaded Haqqani network, an Afghaninsurgent group fighting NATO forces. The high-stakes meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Sharif and included senior cabinet officials. The military was represented by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general Rizwan Akhtar. Both the military and the government, however, have refused to confirm the contents of the meeting. The government's surprise decision to sharpen the rules of engagement with the army is fraught with risks for the latter is widely perceived to be stronger than the democratically- elected government of Pakistan. (WION)

Pak government to army: Will take action against terrorists, please don't get in the way

China recently extended its ?technical hold? on India?s efforts for a UN ban against Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhar

India today criticised the United Nations Security Council for being “unresponsive” with regard to sanctioning leaders of terrorist organisations. This comes after China extended its “technical hold” on India’s efforts for a UN ban against Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. India’s permanent representative to the UN ambassador Syed Akbaruddin told the UN general assembly that that it had become “ineffective” to meeting the challenges it is confronted with. Akbaruddin was speaking in the general assembly debate on the report of the secretary general on the ‘Work of the Organisation’ here. China was the sole member in the 15-nation UN organ to put a hold on India's application. Azhar’s placement in the 1267 sanctions list would subject him to an assets freeze and travel ban. "At best, the UN sanctions committee is now a body that can be described as an interesting and random mix of ad-hocism, scrambling and political paralysis. This global governance architecture now calls for comprehensive reform," PTI reported the Indian envoy as saying. (WION)

India criticises UNSC for not sanctioning Masood Azhar

China has vetoed India&#39;s application to the UN Security Council to designate Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad chief a terrorist for the second time.&nbsp;

The country&#39;s six-month &#39;technical hold&#39; on India&#39;s application was to lapse&nbsp;on Monday&nbsp;but has now been extended for another six months. Had China not raised further objection, the resolution designating Azhar as a terrorist would have been passed automatically.&nbsp;

India blames Azhar&#39;s JeM for the attack on an army base in Uri last month that killed 19 soldiers and also for the attack on an air force station in Pathankot in January.

New Delhi had submitted a detailed dossier on Azhar and moved the UNSC 1267 Committee following the attack in Pathankot.

&quot;The technical hold on India&#39;s listing application submitted to the 1267 committee in March, 2016 has already been extended. There are still different views on India&#39;s listing application. The extended technical hold on it will allow more time for the Committee to deliberate on the matter and for relevant parties to have further consultations&quot; China&#39;s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told PTI in Beijing.

&quot;The UNSC organises its work as mandated by relevant resolutions of the Security Council. China always maintains that on the listing matter, the 1267 Committee should stick to the main principles of objectivity, impartiality and professionalism, base its judgments on solid evidence and decide upon consensus among the members of the Security Council,&quot; he said in a written reply to a question, PTI reported.

On&nbsp;March 31&nbsp;this year, China was the only member of the 15-member UNSC to freeze India&#39;s application seeking ban on Azhar under the Sanctions Committee.&nbsp;Being placed on the 1267 sanctions list would result in assets freeze and travel ban.&nbsp;

The 14 members supported New Delhi&#39;s bid to place the JeM leader and Pathankot attack mastermind on the sanctions list. But China put the application on &#39;technical hold&#39; at the last minute.&nbsp;

Besides India, the US, the UK and France had also &quot;co-sponsored&quot; the resolution seeking Azhar&#39;s listing as a terrorist.

India had back then criticised the UN sanctions committee for taking a &quot;selective approach&quot; in tackling terrorism and for its failure to designate terrorists.&nbsp;

It had said that it found it &quot;incomprehensible&quot; that while JeM was listed in the UNSC Committee as far back as 2001 for its terror activities and links with the al-Qaeda, the designation of the group&#39;s main leader, financier and motivator as a terrorist has been put on a technical hold.

In June last year, China, a key ally of Pakistan, had blocked India&#39;s demand under the Council&#39;s anti-terrorism resolutions&nbsp;for taking action against Pakistan for releasing Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zaki-ur-Lakhvi, mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

China&#39;s move to extend the technical hold are likely to cast a cloud over the expected meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Goa during the upcoming BRICS Summit on&nbsp;October 15-16.&nbsp;

The country has also opposed India&#39;s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

On Saturday, it announced a new hydroelectric project on a tributary of the Brahmaputra that may impact the flow of water into India, raising concerns that may use its control of river water as a leveraging tool over India in its disputes involving Pakistan.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

This is the second time Beijing has vetoed New Delhi's move to put sanctions on the alleged Uri attack mastermind

China has vetoed India's application to the UN Security Council to designate Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad chief a terrorist for the second time. The country's six-month 'technical hold' on India's application was to lapse on Monday but has now been extended for another six months. Had China not raised further objection, the resolution designating Azhar as a terrorist would have been passed automatically. India blames Azhar's JeM for the attack on an army base in Uri last month that killed 19 soldiers and also for the attack on an air force station in Pathankot in January. New Delhi had submitted a detailed dossier on Azhar and moved the UNSC 1267 Committee following the attack in Pathankot. "The technical hold on India's listing application submitted to the 1267 committee in March, 2016 has already been extended. There are still different views on India's listing application. The extended technical hold on it will allow more time for the Committee to deliberate on the matter and for relevant parties to have further consultations" China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told PTI in Beijing. "The UNSC organises its work as mandated by relevant resolutions of the Security Council. China always maintains that on the listing matter, the 1267 Committee should stick to the main principles of objectivity, impartiality and professionalism, base its judgments on solid evidence and decide upon consensus among the members of the Security Council," he said in a written reply to a question, PTI reported. On March 31 this year, China was the only member of the 15-member UNSC to freeze India's application seeking ban on Azhar under the Sanctions Committee. Being placed on the 1267 sanctions list would result in assets freeze and travel ban. The 14 members supported New Delhi's bid to place the JeM leader and Pathankot attack mastermind on the sanctions list. But China put the application on 'technical hold' at the last minute. Besides India, the US, the UK and France had also "co-sponsored" the resolution seeking Azhar's listing as a terrorist. India had back then criticised the UN sanctions committee for taking a "selective approach" in tackling terrorism and for its failure to designate terrorists. It had said that it found it "incomprehensible" that while JeM was listed in the UNSC Committee as far back as 2001 for its terror activities and links with the al-Qaeda, the designation of the group's main leader, financier and motivator as a terrorist has been put on a technical hold. In June last year, China, a key ally of Pakistan, had blocked India's demand under the Council's anti-terrorism resolutions for taking action against Pakistan for releasing Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zaki-ur-Lakhvi, mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. China's move to extend the technical hold are likely to cast a cloud over the expected meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Goa during the upcoming BRICS Summit on October 15-16. The country has also opposed India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). On Saturday, it announced a new hydroelectric project on a tributary of the Brahmaputra that may impact the flow of water into India, raising concerns that may use its control of river water as a leveraging tool over India in its disputes involving Pakistan. (WION with inputs from PTI)

China dampens India's attempt to tag Masood Azhar as terrorist

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