India to 'Show Patience' in Dealing With China on Blacklisting Masood Azhar in UN

New Delhi: India will show patience with China for "as long as it takes", sources have said, three days after Beijing placed a hold at the United Nations (UN) on the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. This is the fourth time in a decade that China has blocked efforts at the UN to go after Masood Azhar's assets.

Highly placed sources have said to News18 that there are issues China has to resolve with Pakistan on this matter and that India is "cautiously confident" that eventually, Masood Azhar will get listed as a UN designated terrorist.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, in an exclusive conversation with News18, had also expressed hope of China coming around from its present position of defending Jaish chief Masood Azhar and frustrating India's repeated attempts to designate him a 'global terrorist'. He said that India needed to "understand" China's position as well.

"India never gets disappointed. Now, they [China] must have some reason for this. We will need to understand what their reasons are for doing this," Singh said. He had added that India will "keep trying to convince China."

14 out of 15 members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have supported India on this issue and that seven UNSC members also co-sponsored the resolution on Masood Azhar.

New Delhi is also lobbying hard with members of the global watchdog on terror financing - the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) - to show how Pakistan is not complying with orders to crack down on terror groups.

It is also learnt that India will show patience with China as long as it takes but are cautiously optimistic that the listing will happen. The sources add that there is no question of cutting a deal with any member of sanctions committee.

India will continue to share information as and when asked by China on Masood Azhar.

In the UNSC session, France, UK and the US moved a proposal to blacklist Masood Azhar after the Jaish-e-Mohammed attack in Pulwama where 40 CRPF soldiers were killed. The proposal was backed by an unprecedented number of nations.