China on Tuesday made it clear that there is no change in its position on India's request to list Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN and said it will decide on the issue on the "merits of the matter".
China also shrugged of allegation of sheltering hardline United Liberation Front Of Assam (ULFA) leader Paresh Baruah, saying it adheres to the policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
India on Monday asked China to support the pending application in the UN to designate Azhar as a global terrorist during the first India-China high-level meeting on bilateral security cooperation which was co-chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Zhao Kezhi, State Councilor and Minister of Public Security, China, in New Delhi.
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A veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has repeatedly blocked India's bid at the United Nations to list Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhar as a global terrorist.
When asked to comment on India’s request, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said she has to check the specific details of the talks between the two ministers.
"As per to India's request for the listing of Masood (Azhar) we already stated our position for many times," she said.
"On the counter terrorism issue, China has always actively participated in international anti-terrorist operations. We have always made our decisions and judgements on the merits of the matter itself," she said.
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"We will continue to step up the security cooperation to uphold the regional peace and stability with parties," she said.
Azhar is accused of several deadly terrorist attacks in India, including one on the Uri military base in Kashmir in 2016 in which 17 security personnel were killed.
China has blocked India's efforts to designate Azhar under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council citing lack of consensus among the members of the Council.
On reports that India has requested China to not to give shelter to ULFA leader Baruah, Hua said, "I shall stress that the Chinese government has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. This remains unchanged."
In August, China for the fourth time had blocked a proposal backed by the US, France and Britain to list Azhar as a global terrorist, citing a lack of consensus among the members of the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.
India has identified Azhar as the mastermind of the Pathankot attack on January 2. It has also blamed his brother Rauf and five others for carrying out the attack in which seven Indian soldiers were killed along with all the six terrorists.
India has shared this information along with two Pakistani phone numbers that were made calls to by the terrorists.
According to reports, security agencies have arrested 31 activists of JeM from different parts of the province.
After a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in January 2016 , his office issued a statement which said that "several individuals" belonging to JeM have been apprehended in connection with the Pathankot terror attack and some of its offices traced and sealed.
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In December 2016, NIA filed a charge sheet against Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother and two others for hatching the conspiracy of the January two audacious terror strike that left seven personnel dead and 37 others injured.
The charge sheet was filed in the NIA court at Panchkula in which all the four have been slapped with charges under Indian Penal Code, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
