India is prepared for the long haul that will be required to make China agree to getting Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist under the United Nations Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee.
Given the overwhelming support the move drew at the panel, India is hopeful that China will eventually agree. In any case, China has only put it on hold and not rejected it outright, giving India six-to-nine months to use its diplomatic channels to bring Beijing around.
The setback at the 1267 Sanctions Committee notwithstanding, sources said New Delhi had cornered Islamabad as the world in general was convinced that Pakistan harboured terrorists.
It is hoped that this, coupled with the pre-emptive air strikes inside Pakistan, will force Islamabad to make a value assessment of the cross-border terrorism it facilitates against India.
India has ruled out engaging in a bargain with China to get its vote at the 1267 Sanctions Committee the way it had last year at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
It is widely believed that China agreed to put Pakistan on the FATF grey list after India backed a bigger role for Beijing in the Paris-based terror-financing watchdog. China was elected vice-president of the FATF in 2018.
