Mention of JeM only in general terms, not a judgment: China downplays UNSC statement on Pulwama

Video | Why Is China Shielding JeM Chief, Maulana Masood Azhar?

While Beijing agreed to name JeM, which is a UN-proscribed terrorist group since 2002, it has not yet yielded on JeM chief Masood Azhar’s listing.

The statement, which was issued late Thursday night, said, “the members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in over 40 Indian paramilitary forces dead and dozens wounded on February 14, 2019, for which Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility”.

Also read | Pakistan doesn’t show understanding of risks posed by terror financing: FATF

Asked about the statement highlighting the role of JeM in the attack, Geng said Beijing was closely following the developments related to the terror incident.

The spokesperson said that “China also noted that the Pakistani government showed readiness to cooperate with India on the investigation and that it is also ready to resolve differences with India through dialogue”.

“China hopes all parties will work to find the truth about this attack. We hope Pakistan and India will engage in dialogue to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability,” he said.

The UNSC statement was considered significant as China has singlehandedly blocked the listing of JeM chief Masood Azhar as a “global terrorist” at the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 sanctions committee for the last 10 years. At least three attempts in the last decade — in 2009, 2016 and 2017 — have been blocked by Beijing at Pakistan’s behest.