China was the only country among the 15-member UNSC to have the
opposition for the ban on Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar.
China kept and support Chief Masood Azhar, the chief of JeM
(Jaish-e-Mohammad, a terrorist organization) under its protective wings,
rejecting a fourth attempt to declare him a designated global terrorist and
sanction him.
The terrorist outfit, led and founded by the notorious
Masood Azhar, has been responsible for some of the most cruel terror attacks in
India, including the suicide bomb blast on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama on which
around 40 jawans were martyred, attack on the Indian Air Force Base in
Pathankot in January 2016 and the attack on Parliament in December 2001.
Despite its criminal and sinful activities, China has
constantly blocked India’s bid to get JeM chief Azhar declared as a designated
‘global terrorist’ at the United Nations (UN).
China has condemned the Pulwama attack, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Geng Shuang telling media, “We soundly oppose and strongly condemn all of the terrorism forms. We hope related regional countries will coordinate to deal with the threat of terrorism and jointly maintain regional peace, harmony, and stability.”
Reasons behind China supporting Masood Azhar
Some of the reasons that show why China is supporting Masood
Azhar:
China and Pakistan are believed to be “friends for all time”, and Beijing generally views New Delhi as a competitor and, even a threat. Supporting Azhar could be a way to annoy India and appease Pakistan.
Besides, China and Pakistan share “a favour for a favour” relationship and representing each other in official groups of nations where the other has a limited representation. For instance, Pakistan stands up for China in Non-Aligned Movement (where Beijing has a scanty representation) and in return, Pakistan gets China’s veto power in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Another reason could be China holding a bitterness, grudge and hard feeling against India for providing asylum to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in 1959, after China occupied Tibet in 1950.
Additionally, China has recently pledged $51 billion in investments and development projects that including OROB plan (One Road One Belt). The project, when finished, is said to provide China alternate routes and tracks to connect with Africa and West Asia, whilst offering infrastructural development to the most of the backward regions of Pakistan including insurgency-hit Baluchistan.
