Why China is barely defending Pakistani terror chief Masood Azhar ?

CHINA, PAK AND MASOOD AZHAR.

Beijing will back terror to please its “real ally” Pakistan.

Pioneer Desk | Delhi | Oct 12, 2016::  China’s latest move to sabotage India’s attempt to impose UN sanctions on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar is unfortunate. Beijing’s position that it is opposed to anyone making “political gains in the name of counter-terrorism” no way supports India’s persistent attempt to fight terror coming from Pakistan. The Chinese leadership must understand that India does not need to achieve any political mileage by fighting terrorism, which has by now become a global menace. As China claims it is opposed to all forms of terrorism, why cannot it endorse India’s bid to impose a ban on Masood Azhar, whose organisation’s involvement in the Pathankot terror attack is known to the world? China’s support to Islamabad is reflective of its double standards on terrorism and also shows the extent to which the Middle Kingdom wants to remain an all-weather ally of Pakistan. Beijing is trying to shield Pakistan and its terror factories. Moreover, since China has been a victim of terrorism, emerging from its northwest Province of Xinjiang, it should have been appreciative and understanding of New Delhi’s stance against terrorism and readily agreed to India’s move at the UN on Azhar.

Apart from this, China’s bid to stall India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) has further complicated the relationship between the two neighbours. Though Beijing has expressed its willingness for more discussions on India’s NSG membership, chances are bleak of China supporting it. It wants that there should not be any special consideration for India to be made a member of the NSG, as the latter has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) so far. Beijing has hinted that Pakistan should also be offered the NSG’s membership if India gets it. Ahead of the Brics summit in Goa, China is working hard to spread the impression that it is not opposed to India’s entry into the elite club.

Given its position on Masood Azhar, it would be worth watching how China defends its stand on vital issues like counter-terrorism in the Brics summit. To maintain a stable relationship with New Delhi, Beijing needs to re-work its deep commitment to Islamabad. A sustainable India-China relationship can contribute to the development of the entire region as both are projected as rising economies of the world. Chinese President Xi Jinping, early this year, stated that “China has only one real ally, Pakistan”. That’s fine, but then China must force Pakistan to rein in terror elements armed and trained in the latter’s territory and then sneaked into India to wreak havoc. As India moves closer to the US, Pakistan has been accelerating its attempts to build deeper military ties with China. Beijing’s commitment to Islamabad and the convergence of strategic interests are matters of concern for New Delhi. Therefore, the Middle Kingdom must balance its bilateral ties with both India and Pakistan; else the region will only face instability sooner or later.

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Courtesy : Daily Pioneer.