NEW DELHI: India has issued a demarche (diplomatic missive) to China regarding its continued block on a UN ban on Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) Chief Masood Azhar. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Thursday demarches had been served to the Chinese embassy in New Delhi and in the foreign office in Beijing by the Indian embassy.
READ MORE: China blocks US proposal to designate JeM chief a terrorist at UN
Responding to the Chinese foreign ministry statement that there was “no consensus”, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup told journalists, “if there is a change in the Chinese position, there will be a consensus as well …”
He also refuted the Chinese stand that India and Pakistan should talk to each other on the issue. “It is our understanding that this was a classic counter-terrorism proposal meant to proscribe a dreaded terrorist leader Masood Azhar whose organisation the Jaish-e-Muhammed has already been proscribed by the UN 1267 Committee. We don’t view this as a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan but as an issue of global counter-terrorism. We hope that eventually, China will also come around to accepting this view.”
Courtesy: Times of India
