India News | China Now Willing to Address Issues Related to Terrorism: Ex-UN Envoy Akbaruddin

New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) China's decision to lift its hold on a proposal in the UN to designate Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist is linked to the Beijing's reluctance to be isolated on the global stage, said Syed Akbaruddin, India's former envoy to the UN.

This move by China cleared the way for Makki to be designated as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council's 1267 ISIL (Da'esh) and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee.

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"Why would a country like China want to be seen as a defender of terrorism? Sure it is doing this at the behest of Pakistan. But there are limits to which China will undermine its interest on Pakistan's behalf," Akbaruddin told PTI.

The former diplomat said China is now willing to address issues related to terrorism, but India expected it to address the primary concerns on the border issue as well.

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"We would want not only China's support on terrorism but on important issues of national sovereignty. It needs to address our primary concerns on the border too, even as it is now willing to address, after some difficulty, issues related to terrorism," Akbaruddin said.

He said that getting support from China over terrorism issues may not have a significant impact on bilateral ties, which have been damaged by several military clashes since the 2020 Galwan face-off.

The former diplomat noted that Makki's designation as a global terrorist was a relatively swift process when compared with the proposal to list Jaish-e-Mohammad founder Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.

"When I was the ambassador at the UN, it took us 10 years to designate Masood Azhar. It has taken a much shorter time for the next level of success. And the hope is those who are in the pipeline, now, will be speeded up further," he said.

Akbaruddin said India was able to thwart the Chinese stranglehold which was an indication that New Delhi was willing to confront and push towards its goals and interests.

"Terrorism is now an issue on which there are no returns. There are no returns for Pakistan when it uses terrorism. There are no returns for China when it tries to defend itself against terrorism," Akbaruddin said.

Since June 2020, China has blocked at least three attempts by the US and India to have Pakistan-based convicts Abdul Rauf Azhar, Sajid Mir, and Makki classified as global terrorists by the UN Security Council's sanctions committee.

Akbaruddin also expressed hope that it would not take years to designate other terrorists, as the pace at which Indian diplomacy is focusing on terrorism has increased compared to previous years.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)