UNSC upset with China shielding Masood Azhar, may ‘pursue other actions

TIL Desk/World/Washington/ Outraged by China blocking for the fourth time a move to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist, responsible UNSC members warned they “may be forced to pursue other actions” at the Security Council if Beijing continued with this policy.

“If China continues to block this designation, responsible member-states may be forced to pursue other actions at the Security Council. It shouldn’t have to come to that,” a Security Council diplomat told  in an unusual tough warning to China.  The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity to give a sense of the feeling of other members of the Security Council after China blocked the move to designate Azhar a global terrorist.

Beijing previously put a technical hold on similar proposals at the UNSC thrice. In the aftermath of the Pulwama terrorist attack, three permanent members of Security Council ‘” the US, France and the UK ‘” had moved a resolution to designate Azhar a global terrorist. Except for China, which wields veto power in the Security Council, all other UNSC members were on board with the move before the al-Qaida (1267) Sanctions Committee. India has expressed disappointment over China’s decision but said it will “pursue all available avenues” to bring to justice terrorist leaders involved in attack on Indians.