On Masood Azhar, India Retorts To China: 'Change Your Stance For Consensus'

New Delhi: A day after China defended its blocking of the move to ban Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist at the UN, saying there was no consensus to the proposal, India hit out, saying if there was a change in the Chinese position, there will be a consensus as well. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the matter has been taken up with the Chinese Ambassador in Delhi and in Beijing as well.

The proposal to ban Azhar, the mastermind of last year's Pathankot attack, had been moved by the US, the UK and France. All three nations are permanent members of the UN Security Council. Pointing this out, Mr Swarup said, "This was a classic counter-terrorism proposal".

India, he said, did not view the ban on Masood Azhar as a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan but an issue of global counter terrorism. Masood Azhar's Jaish-e-Mohammed has already been proscribed by the UN 1267 Committee.

"We hope 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," Mr Swarup said.

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India's efforts to get Masood Azhar banned by the UN were scuttled by Beijing in December, following which Delhi has taken up the issue with Beijing.

Yesterday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told reporters that Beijing had blocked the proposal on the Jaish chief to allow the "relevant parties" to "reach a consensus". Despite the criticism that China had done so at the behest of Pakistan, Beijing had taken the stance that it had put the matter on a "technical hold" after consultations with India.

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