Is China’s decision to block the UN sanctions committee from
designating Jaish-e-Mohammed’s Masood Azhar as a terrorist
really such a big deal? Since the January 2016 Pathankot
attack China has blocked the committee from designating
Azhar on three occasions. If a personal word from Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
to Chinese President Xi Jinping did not work it is because
Beijing is seldom embarrassed on the world stage and always
puts its self-interest first. China has invested heavily in construction
of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and will
not do anything to jeopardise this project. The designation of
Azhar must be seen in the context of the complex relationship
China has with Pakistan. Secondly, would the designation really
change what happens on the ground? Not really. The JeM
and Lashkr-e-Toiba were designated in 2001 but the LeT struck
India in 2005 and 2008. Having failed thrice, New Delhi must
give up on the UN panel and engage China in a more meaningful
way.
