India has been proactive in listing terrorists at the UNSC forum. Discuss the challenges posed by China in India’s fight against terrorism. What can be done to overcome these challenges?

Terrorism undermines the core values of humanity, peace and growth. It also poses a major threat to international peace and security.

India’s role against terrorism:

• India since its independence, has been at the forefront of global action against terrorism.
• India, being a victim of cross-border terrorism, took cognizance of the threat posed by terrorism, long before the major world powers.
• India strives to build international consensus on cross-border terrorism, through various means such as UNSC terror listings. 
• India has proposed to list several terror entities, including Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). 
• Pakistan being a UN member is obliged to block access for all designated entities to funds, arms and travel outside its jurisdiction.
• India has also set up Joint Working Groups (JWGs) on counter-terrorism with many countries. 
• India has demanded for a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Challenges posed by China:

• China has time and again blocked proposals by India and the United States (US) to designate Pakistan-based terrorists on the UN Security Council’s list of terror entities.
• Recently, China has attempted for the fifth time to block a listing move by India and the U.S. in the past four months.
• As a permanent member of the UNSC, China can use its veto power any number of times.
• Since 2001, China has placed holds on a number of listing proposals relating mainly to Pakistan-based groups and their leaders, given the close bilateral ties between the two countries. 
• Most notable was China’s objections to the listing of JeM founder Masood Azhar. 

Way forward:

The attempts to block the evidence-based listing proposals of the most notorious terrorists in the world is a crime against humanity. The double standards and continuing politicization has undermined the credibility of the sanction regime also. Multilateral institutions and mechanisms need to be strengthened and reformed to be able to deal with these emerging challenges effectively.

Topics: GS-III: Linkages of Organized Crime With Terrorism