China need to think about signal it’s sending on Azhar issue: Jaishankar
Surjit kumar Dhal, New York, Mar 24: India’s former foreign secretary S Jaishankar has said China has to think what signal it is sending to the world by putting a technical hold in the UN on a proposal to list Pakistan-based terror group JeM’s chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
China last week blocked for the fourth consecutive time a resolution at the UN Security Council Committee on designating Azhar as a global terrorist.
The proposal under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the UK and the US on February 27, days after a suicide bomber of the JeM killed 44 CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, leading to a flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan.
Jaishankar, president of Global Corporate Affairs at Tata Group and India’s former ambassador to China and the US, said: “This is an issue that the Chinese have to think through for themselves, you know, what is the signal they are sending”.
The statement of Jaishankar, also India’s former foreign secretary, came during a session at Asia Society here this week while responding to a question on China again blocking the proposal to ban Azhar.
Jaishankar was participating in a discussion ‘New Roadmaps for Asia’ focusing on the Free and Open Indo-Pacific and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue at the city-based cultural organisation along with Japan’s former Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and member of the board at Mitsubishi Corporation Akitaka Saiki.
Asked how India views China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, Jaishankar said India’s position on the project has been made very clear.
“We have an overall position on connectivity, which is autonomous of the Belt and Road. It would apply to a Japanese initiative or an American initiative,” he said.
India has some specific concerns about the Chinese initiative, he said.
