Foreign secretary shares 'all evidence' of JeM terror activities with China

NEW DELHI: India has shared with China “all evidences” of the terrorist activities of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and its chief Masood Azhar during foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale’s visit to Beijing amid reports that China may finally make moves to lift technical hold on the issue in the UN Security Council.

Gokhale is on a two-day visit to Beijing where he met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and told him that Beijing needed to be “sensitive” to New Delhi’s concerns including listing of Azhar as a global terrorist, ET has learnt. There are reports that Beijing may give green signal to listing of Azhar after blocking moves to list him as a global terrorist under the 1267 Sanctions Committee.

“We have shared with China all evidences of the terrorist activities of Jaish-e-Mohammad and its leader Masood Azhar. It is now for the 1267 Sanctions Committee (of the UN Security Council) and other authorised bodies of the UN to take a decision on the listing of Masood Azhar (as international terrorist)," the MEA spokesperson said.


He was responding to queries on the discussions that Gokhale held in Beijing with regard to proscribing of Azhar. Gokhale is understood to have made attempts to convince Wang Yi not to block a resolution to declare Azhar an international terrorist.

JeM has been responsible for a number of terror attacks in India over the last two decades. There has been an increased pitch for proscribing Azhar in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.

Last month, Beijing placed its latest “technical hold”, for the fourth time, on a France-sponsored resolution under 1267 against Azhar, a move that India called “disappointing”. Later, US also moved a proposal in UN to ban Azhar "India will continue to pursue all available avenues to ensure that terrorist leaders who are involved in heinous attacks on our citizens are brought to justice," the MEA spokesperson said.

Gokhale, in his opening remarks during his meeting with Wang and Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said China should be “sensitive” to India's concerns.