Editorial: Beijing does it again

Terrorism is a global menace that warrants joint international response and coordination. It cannot be tackled in isolation, nor can it be condemned selectively. The nations which infamously pursue ‘good terrorist, bad terrorist’ line of policy are bound to swallow their own bitter medicine. By blocking the joint bid by India and the United States […]

Terrorism is a global menace that warrants joint international response and coordination. It cannot be tackled in isolation, nor can it be condemned selectively. The nations which infamously pursue ‘good terrorist, bad terrorist’ line of policy are bound to swallow their own bitter medicine. By blocking the joint bid by India and the United States to get Abdul Rauf Azhar, brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, as a global terrorist in the United Nations, China has once again exposed its double standards on terrorism and extremism. There is now a clear pattern to Beijing’s approach towards terror elements nurtured and sheltered by Pakistan. China’s actions expose its doublespeak when it comes to the global community’s shared battle against terrorism. Such politically motivated actions, in nearly every listing case of a Pakistan-based terrorist, undermine the entire sanctity of the working methods of the UNSC Sanctions Committees. The evidence against Azhar, referred to as Abdul Rauf Asghar in UN documents, is incontrovertible. He was involved in the planning and execution of several terror attacks, including the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814, attack on Parliament in 2001, and attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in 2016. China has used its old trick of placing a technical hold on the proposal to prevent designating him as a terrorist. This is despite the fact that all other 14 member states of the UN Security Council were supportive of the listing proposal. Protecting notorious terrorists from UN sanctions will only undermine China’s credibility further.

This is not the first time that China has obstructed the listing of terrorists. In June, China placed on hold a joint proposal by India and the US to list deputy chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Abdul Rehman Makki on the sanctions list. Makki was involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalising youths to resort to violence and planning attacks in India, including the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. In 2015, it blocked India’s move in seeking action against Pakistan for releasing the mastermind of the ISI-sponsored 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. It is clear from its track record that Beijing has been misusing its position in the UNSC and abdicating its international responsibility in fighting terrorism. Apart from this, China, in league with Pakistan, has been playing spoilsport when it comes to India’s claim over permanent membership in a reformed UNSC and its induction into the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group. Over the last few years, Beijing has been flexing its muscles in international affairs. It is building islands in the South China Sea and contesting territorial claims of neighbours in the East China Sea. It is now building a massive network of ports, roads, bridges, and military facilities along the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor route which would eventually alter the region’s demographic composition.

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