Virtually defending its move to block India’s demand in the United Nations to take action against Pakistan for the release of Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, China said its stand was based on “facts” and in the spirit of “objectiveness and fairness.”
“As a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, China always deals with the 1267 committee matters based on facts and in the spirit of objectiveness and fairness,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters here on Thursday. She was responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking up the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting at the Russian city of Ufa on the sidelines of the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summits on Wednesday.
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Terming the Modi-Xi talks “constructive and inclusive,” Ms. Hua said China had maintained good communication with India and other parties on the Lakhvi issue.
About India’s concerns over terrorism, she said: “I can tell you that both India and China are victims of terrorism. China opposes to all forms of terrorism and support the U.N. playing the leading role in coordinating international cooperation on anti-terrorism. China has actively taken part in global cooperation.”
At a meeting of the U.N. Sanctions Committee last month, India had sought action against Pakistan for release of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Lakhvi in the 26/11 trial in violation of a U.N. resolution but the Chinese representatives blocked the move on grounds that New Delhi did not provide sufficient information.
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Thursday’s replies by Ms. Hua were little more elaborate than the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s earlier replies on the issue. On July 2, answering questions on the technical hold put by China on the Lakhvi issue in the U.N., Deputy Director General of the Asian Affairs Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Huang Xilian said the issue should be discussed in the India-China joint mechanism on terrorism between the two countries.
Mechanism to debate issue“We have a mechanism of counter-terrorism consultation between the two ministries” in which it can be discussed, he had said.
However, in his briefing after Mr. Modi-Mr. Xi talks last night, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said: “The MEA can discuss with the Embassy [Chinese]. There are a range of mechanisms.”
The Prime Minister while conveying his concerns to Mr. Xi told him how the people of India viewed the Chinese action, he said.
China also had put a technical hold earlier on India’s demand for U.N. Security Council to take action against Hizb-ul-Mujahudeen chief Syed Salahuddin and LeT leader Hafeez Saeed citing rules of the UNSC resolution 1267.
In a letter to the current Chair of the U.N. Sanctions Committee Jim McLay, India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Asoke Mukherjee had said Lakhvi’s release by a Pakistani court was in violation of the 1267 U.N. resolution dealing with designated entities and individuals.