India Briefs P5, Including China, In Move To Isolate Pakistan: Sources

40 soldiers of the CRPF were killed when a Jaish terrorist rammed a SUV carrying explosives in their bus

After more than 40 CRPF soldiers were killed in a car bombing attack in Kashmir's Pulwama by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, the government said on Friday that it would take all possible diplomatic steps to ensure Pakistan's complete isolation internationally. India has started meeting envoys of the United Nation P5 countries - which includes China - the Gulf, Japan and European nations to brief them about Pakistan's role in sponsoring terror, sources have told NDTV. The P5 refers to the United Nations Security Council's five permanent members - United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France and China.

At a meeting this morning of the Cabinet Committee on Security at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home, the government also scrapped 'Most Favoured Nation' status for Pakistan, which was never reciprocated.

India had last evening appealed to all members of the international community to "support the proposal to list terrorists, including JeM chief Masood Azhar, as a designated terrorist under the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council and to ban terrorist organisations operating from territories controlled by Pakistan", a clear reference to China which has been blocking all efforts to listing Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council.

Though nations like the US, the UK, Russia and France have asserted that they stand with India in combating the menace of terrorism, China broke its silence nearly a day later and still kept its stand on Masood Azhar unchanged.

"As for the issue of listing, I could tell you that the 1267 Committee of Security Council has a clear stipulation on the listing and procedure of the terrorist organisations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said today.

The government also summoned Pakistan's High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood and sources say a very strong demarche or diplomatic protest was lodged. Government sources say India conveyed that Pakistan must take immediate and verifiable action against Jaish and that it must immediately stop any groups or individuals associated with terrorism operating from its territories.

The Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ajay Bisaria, has also been called to Delhi for consultations by the government.

On Thursday afternoon, a suicide bomber detonated a car-load of explosives next to a large convoy of 78 CRPF buses with over 2,500 personnel travelling on the highway from Jammu to Srinagar. At Pulwama, the car with 60 kg of explosives blew up, killing over 40 personnel reporting to duty after leave.

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the attack a matter of "grave concern". But in a brief statement, it added, "We strongly reject any insinuation by elements in the Indian government and media circles that seek to link the attack to the State of Pakistan without investigations."