New Delhi: Sources said India was awaiting a formal communication from the UN Sanctions Committee informing it of China’s position on the matter and since the “process was still incomplete”, New Delhi has asked Beijing to reconsider its position.
Sources said, “the matter had been taken up at the highest political level” with the Chinese. But observers say that if China does not change its position following India’s displeasure, New Delhi is bound to strongly protest Beijing’s move both in the Indian and the Chinese capitals.
However, the ministry of external affairs did not specifically say whether the Prime Minister had called up the Chinese leadership directly or whether the Chinese ambassador had been summoned by the MEA over the matter on Tuesday. India is still hoping that China could be persuaded to change its mind on the issue, especially since China itself has been at the receiving end of terrorism in its western Xinjiang region that has the backing of fundamentalist militant groups in Pakistan. But China, which is building a strategic economic corridor with Pakistan, has once again proved to be Islamabad’s all-weather friend by bailing it out.
India is all the more upset since top-ranking visits by the political leadership of the two countries have taken place since the Modi government assumed office.
While Chinese President Xi Jinping visited India in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited China just last month and it looked like the two countries were headed for much-improved ties. But Tuesday’s shock decision by China is bound to be a dampener in the ties between the two Asian giants.
In a terse reaction to “China’s statement on Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi at the United Nations,” the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi said, “The Government had taken up the issue of violation of the 1267 sanctions regime in respect of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Our concerns in this matter were conveyed to the Chair of the 1267 Committee. We also raised this bilaterally with the other member of the Committee. In the case of China, this matter has been taken up at the highest level.” According to news agency reports from the UN in New York, as the UN Sanctions Co-mmittee met there at India’s request, a clarification was to be sought from Pakistan over Lakhvi’s release in the 26/11 trial but the Chinese representatives blocked the move on grounds that India did not provide sufficient information.
