India tells China to stop shielding terrorists

New Delhi says no talks with Islamabad until terror stops

India on Wednesday asked China to “hear the voice of the world” and drop its policy of shielding the terror leaders based in Pakistan from United Nations’ sanctions.

New Delhi also made it clear that it would not restart bilateral dialogue with Islamabad unless the export of anti-India terror from Pakistan and territories under control of Pakistan was stopped.

“We really do expect China to hear the voice of the world, not just the voice of India, on the issue of terrorism,” Minister of State for External Affairs, M J Akbar, said, when a journalist asked him for New Delhi’s reaction to Beijing’s latest move to block New Delhi's bid at the United Nations to impose sanctions on Pakistan-based leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) Masood Azhar.

“The voice of the world is heard over and over again at many fora,” he added.

With External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj recuperating after undergoing a kidney transplant surgery, Akbar and the other Minister of State, V K Singh, on Wednesday briefed reporters about the MEA’s achievement in the two-and-a-half years tenure of the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We hope China, as a matured and responsible nation will understand that double standards are simple self-defeating, even suicidal,” said Akbar.

New Delhi earlier this year made a fresh attempt to get the JeM chief designated as an international terrorist by a UN panel.

All individuals and entities listed by the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL (Da’esh) and Al Qaida Sanctions Committee of the UN are subjected to international sanctions, including travel restrictions and measures curbing financial transactions.

Beijing, however, blocked the move by New Delhi in early April. It was only due to China’s opposition that the UN panel had to put India’s plea on a “technical hold” for six months. China – one of the five permanent members of the Security Council – later managed to get the “technical hold” extended for three more months, beginning on October 1. It got the “technical hold” extended further on December 31.

“China has its own terrorist problems. China recognises them, addresses them in bilateral agreements. We hope and we are sure that China can be persuaded to see the depth and evil of this menace,” Akbar said on Tuesday.

Singh said that India had demonstrated its “own good faith” through “repeated initiatives to normalise the relationship” with Pakistan.

“However, as we have often stated, talks and terror cannot go together,” added the Minister of state for external affairs.

“The aim of the surgical strikes that we conducted (after September 18 terror attack on Indian Army camp at Uri in Kashmir) was to convey to Pakistan that we will not countenance continued terrorism as the new normal in our relationship,” he added.