The proposal was the fourth such bid at UN in last 10 years to list Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
China for the fourth time blocked a bid in the UN Security Council to designate Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar as a "global terrorist" by putting a technical hold on the proposal on Wednesday, a move India termed as disappointing. The proposal to designate him under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the UK and the US on February 27, days after a suicide bomber of the Jaish killed 40 CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, leading to a flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan. A diplomat said China asked for "more time to examine" the proposal. The technical hold is valid for up to six months and it can be again extended by up to three months. The proposal was the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist. Reacting to the development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi expressed disappointment.