China has once again blocked a move to designate the leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group behind the Kashmir bomb attack as a terrorist, sparking indignation and calls for a boycott on Indian social media.
Masood Azhar, who founded JeM in 1999, is currently believed to be the coordinator of the February 14 suicide bomb attack in Kashmir in which 40 Indian troops were killed.
A proposal was brought forward by the US, Britain, and France to the UN Security Council’s Islamic State and Al-Qaeda sanctions committee on February 27 to have him blacklisted, his assets frozen, in addition to imposing a travel ban and an arms embargo on Azhar.
China requested a delay to examine the request in more detail, but provided no additional details. This marks the fourth time China, a close ally of Pakistan, has blocked the move in the UN Security Council. In a statement, the Indian government said it would pursue “all available avenues to ensure that terrorist leaders who are involved in heinous attacks on our citizens are brought to justice.”
In a statement, the Indian government said it would pursue “all available avenues to ensure that terrorist leaders who are involved in heinous attacks on our citizens are brought to justice.”
News of China’s block broke late Wednesday, immediately sparking widespread calls for a boycott of Chinese products on Indian social media.
However, the reality of the situation quickly became clear to many commenters, who noted both the hypocrisy and near impossibility of a boycott on Chinese products in India.
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