No bar: Hindu editorial on Chinese hurdle to designate terrorists

bchoose y place “Technical moratorium” on joint Indo-US proposal to nominate Jaish-e-Mohammed Deputy Chief Rauf Asghari but a global terrorist UN Security Council 1267 Committee ListChina has dealt another blow to its relations with India, which is already in a fragile state. Despite 16 rounds of talks by the military commander along the Line of Actual Control, India and China have failed to resolve the standoff Which started with the encroachment of PLA troops and along the LAC in April 2020. The two sides clashed in the maritime domain this week, after India expressed its concern over it. Proposed docking of a Chinese satellite tracking ship at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port And while bilateral trade has recovered from the COVID-19 slowdown, the Sri Lankan government Chinese technology majors in India being raided by Enforcement Directorate and under suspicion of a series of financial offences to the income tax authorities. At a time when bilateral trust is already at such a deficit, China’s decision to stop a crucial terror list comes just two months after Beijing similarly withheld the designation of Lashkar-e-Taiba deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki, Taking such measures on an issue that it knows India has always been extremely serious about is at least insensitive, but an unfortunate one, given the number of major attacks on Indians by Lashkar and JeM since the 1990s. part of the pattern. By China, which has conducted several such listings in the past. Asghar is wanted for his role in freeing his brother Masood Azhar in the most brutal of ways, by organizing the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814, and taking about 200 civilians hostage on the Kandahar tarmac, and other attacks. He is now reportedly in a Pakistani prison, having been convicted of terrorism-related charges, and is on the domestic ‘Most Wanted Terrorist’ list of both the US and India.

However, it is important for India to continue efforts to name both Makki and Asghar as well as other terrorists responsible for the attacks on Indians, without losing faith in the process. One option is to keep up with international pressure, and mobilize more co-sponsors for the listing, which was reportedly approved by 14 of the 15 UNSC members. The second would be to work on changing the 1267 committee procedures so that they do not allow a country to withdraw such an important terrorist list without any reason. A third could also be to initiate talks bilaterally with both China and Pakistan on the issue, taking advantage of the need to remove Pakistan from the FATF’s gray list later this year as well as Pakistan’s economic recovery. China’s interest, to ensure that the listing is completed. After all, if the goal behind the UNSC list is to ensure that perpetrators of terrorist acts are held accountable, then the emphasis should be on working by all means.