Keeping With Its Decade-Old Tradition, China Blocks Indian And US Bid To List LeT Deputy Chief As Global Terrorist

China's double standards on terrorism and extremism were on full display at the United Nations on Friday (17 June) as the country blocked India and United States-led bid to get Lashkar-e-Taiba's deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki listed as a global terrorist.

Makki, a US-designated terrorist, is the brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

The proposal was floated by India and the US on 1 June this year under the UN Security Council's Al Qaeda (Dae'sh) and ISIL Sanctions Committee, which is also known as the UNSC 1267 Committee.

To rescue Pakistan, China has placed a "technical hold" on the proposal. The proposal can't be adopted till China withdraws the hold.

"Regrettably, on 16 June, 2022, China placed a "technical hold" on the proposal to list Makki. This measure (which can last for up to six months at a time) blocks the adoption of the listing proposal till the hold is withdrawn," the Indian Express quoted a source as saying.

"This decision by China is extremely unfortunate given the overwhelming evidence against Makki. Moreover, it runs counter to China's claims of combating terrorism," the source quoted in the report added.

It isn't the first time China has blocked an Indian proposal to list a Pakistan-based and Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI)-sponsored terrorist. Beijing had earlier tried to scuttle India's bid to get LeT chief Masood Azhar listed.

India first moved a UN proposal to block Azhar in 2009. Then, in 2016, New Delhi moved the proposal along with three permanent members of the UN Security Council — the US, the UK and France. The three countries again moved a similar proposal in 2017. China, however, blocked all these efforts to get Azhar listed at the UN. It was only in 2019 that New Delhi managed to get Azhar listed as a "global terrorist".

In 2015, China had also blocked India's move in the UN seeking action against Pakistan for releasing the mastermind of the ISI-sponsored 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.