Member countries of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and their partners in the Indo-Pacific will be closely monitoring and collecting documentary evidence of China’s actions at the UNSC where Beijing has been found to be politicising the listing of terrorists.
Going beyond merely serving strong messages to China and Pakistan, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), the group consisting of India, US, Australia and Japan, has now prepared a solid and comprehensive action plan aimed at exposing and countering Beijing’s ‘sinister agenda’ at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Irked at China’s “conspiratorial” role in blocking the listings of Pakistan-based terrorists at the UNSC, the Quad has now decided to work in close collaboration and cooperation with the other Indo-Pacific partner countries to expose China’s attempt to politicise this global forum on the basis of “clinching documents and evidence”.
The Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, whose formation was announced by the Quad foreign ministers of India, Australia, US and Japan, who met in New Delhi on Saturday, will also be closely watching and noting the activities of the states (China) that help Pakistan based terrorists at the UNSC. It will work closely with the partners in the Indo-Pacific to “counter new and emerging forms of terrorism, radicalisation to violence and violent extremism.” “The responsibility will also include exposing attempts by the countries including China to block listing of terrorists at the UNSC Sanctions Regimes. This should be seen in the context of China’s attempts to block UN ban on Pakistan-based terrorists,” a highly-placed diplomatic source told The Sunday Guardian. “After all, any action aimed at protecting terror elements at UNSC goes to weaken the collective fight against terrorism, which is what concerns the Quad,” said an official.
The joint statement by the Quad Foreign Ministers has called on all states to maintain “the transparent objective and evidence based working methods of the United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee”. Apart from partners, all the countries have been urged to collect the evidence for strict monitoring of the function at the UNSC, sources said.
“The Quad countries and their partners in the Indo-Pacific will maintain evidence and document based functioning of the UNSC Sanctions Committee, which will also include maintaining evidence on the working of China when it comes to blacklisting of terrorists,” sources told TSG. “The working group will not only keep an eye on Pakistan and Afghanistan where terror groups are getting safe haven, but will also be equally alert to actions by China,” a source added.
Signalling Quad sharpening its focus on China’s activities at UNSC, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also said, “One of the outcomes of the meeting is that the listings of terrorists should not be politicised.” This was a direct message to China that has blocked numerous moves by India and its allies to designate Pakistan-based terrorists under the 1267 Al-Qaeda sanctions committee at the United Nations Security Council. “But this time round, the Quad has gone beyond merely sending out messages to China. The group has now prepared a strategy to maintain evidence based records exposing China’s bid to politicise the UNSC. Other like-minded countries have also been urged to do so in order to confront China with facts and figures,” the diplomats aware of the development said.
The joint statement said, “We unequivocally condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations. We denounce the use of terrorist proxies and emphasize the importance of denying any logistical, financial, or military support to terrorist organizations which could be used to launch or plan terrorist attacks, including transnational and cross-border attacks. We reiterate our condemnation of terrorist attacks, including 26/11 Mumbai, which claimed lives of citizens from all Quad countries, and Pathankot attacks.”
“We are committed to working together with our regional and international partners to promote accountability for the perpetrators of such terrorist attacks, including through designations by the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee. In this regard, we express our concern at attempts to politicize the working of the UNSC Sanctions Regimes and call on all states to maintain the transparent, objective, and evidence based working methods of UNSC Sanctions Committees.”
“This point in the joint statement of Quad Foreign Minister assumes significance in the light of the fact that China has been found using the elite forum for furthering its political agenda by helping Pakistan,” officials said. China has been seen placing technical holds on all proposals to blacklist terrorists till there is no option but to designate. Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba leader, Abdul Rehman Makki, who was listed by the UN Security Council this January, three years after the proposal was first sent to the UNSC and China repeatedly blocked it.