• Azhar the founder and the leader of the JeM,meets the criteria for designation by the UN. The United Nation Security Council(UNSC) 1267 committee proposed in lisiting Azar as designated terrorist.The JeM has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks and is a threat to regional stability and peace.

Background:

• Jaish-e-Mohammed or JeM is a Pakistan based terrorist group.The founder of this group Maulana Masood Azar had created had created the group with sole aim of separating Kashmir from India and merge it with Pakistan. Since it’s inception in 2000, the terror outfit has carried out several attacks in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The groups recent attack was suicide bombing on 14 February in Indian-administered Kashmir.

What is UNSC?

• The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 Members, and each Member has one vote. Under the Charter of the United Nations, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions.
• The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.
• The listing request was co sponsored by US,UK and France on Feb 27,came in response to the suicide attack in Pulwama.It would have resulted in Azar being designated as a terrorist and subjected him to sanctions,including an arms and travel ban as well as an asset freeze.
• This is the fourth time in 4 years that china has opposed the listing of Azhar.It had also opposed the listing after the Mumbai attacks,when proposals at the UNSC had been filed.
• The U.S. has said Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) is a threat to regional stability and peace and that China preventing the UN designation of JeM leader Masood Azhar would run counter to the U.S. and China’s shared goals for stability.

China’s real intentions behind its ‘Technical hold’ on Masood Azaar:

• China was virtually the last country to condemn the attack.China’s romance with terrorists in the AF-Pak region has a historical legacy based on its vested economic, security and geostrategic interests. China’s Uyghur Muslim-dominated Xinjiang province came under religious and cultural influence of Pakistan as it was opened up post the reform period of 1978.
• Externally, China courted with the Taliban and other terror groups to contain any “spillover” of terrorism to Xinjiang. China hoped that its romance with extremist groups in the Af-Pak region would prevent them from supporting Uyghur separatism and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

Economic and geo-strategic interests:

• It is estimated that 5,00,000 Chinese nationals will be living in the Gwadar port city by 2022. China is courting Azhar to secure the CPEC and the Chinese living in Pakistan.
• China recognisedAzhar’s influence over radicalised elements and used him to safeguard its own strategic and economic interests in the region.