Delhi: After a long silence China has condemned the terrorist attack in Pulwama. However, the statement came a bit late and surprisingly was soft on the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad and its mastermind Masood Azhar.
After more than 20 hours of the Pulwama attack, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Geng Shuang said, “China has noted the reports of suicide terrorist attack. We are deeply shocked by this attack. We express deep condolences and sympathy to the injured and bereaved families,”
However, when asked about listing Masood Azhar on the global terror list, Geng Shuang was not forthcoming. He said, “As for the issue of listing, I could tell you that the 1267 Committee of Security Council has a clear stipulation on the listing and procedure of the terrorist organisations.”
China which considers Pakistan has its close ally has been blocking any attempts to list Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the United Nations Security Council. India’s repeated efforts to list the terror leader were thwarted by China. It had even vetoed the United States attempt to list Masood Azhar on global terror list.
Their silence when it comes to JeM and its leader Masood Azhar must be understood from this perspective.
The soft stand of the Chinese also stems from their altercation with India over border issues and the state of Arunachal Pradesh. They fear their regional influence being countered by a powerful and growing India.
Compared to China’s stand, all our major neighbours took a strong stand against terrorism and pledged their support to fight it. This united stand of our neighbours is a bright example of the diplomatic manoeuvring that Narendra Modi achieved during the last five years.
Also, the world’s influential countries like the United States, Russia, Britain, France, Israel etc. also came together in condemning the dastardly act.
It is public knowledge that Indian communist terror outfits are in league with Islamic terrorists. Moreover, China offers subtle support to Pakistan terrorists in their terror activities against India.
China is deeply involved with Pakistan and feels India has a major threat for its regional power game. As long as this mentality rules the Chinese leadership, they cannot take a stronger stand against the enemies of India.
