New Delhi: The United States issued a strong statement against China at the United Nations, after the country blocked a move at the UNSC to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist. It said that if China was serious about goals of regional peace, it should not protect terrorists from Pakistan or any other country.

Reacting sharply to China’s last minute technical hold on the move, the US said that China should not prevent the Committee from doing the job the Security Council has entrusted it to do. It said that this was the fourth time that China has placed a hold on this listing.

Isuing a warning against the veto-wielding member of the UNSC, US said that if China continues to block this designation (Azhar’s listing as global terrorist), responsible member states may be forced to pursue other actions at the Security Council.”

US said that Pakistan has quite often depended on China to protect it from the listing of Pakistan-based terrorist groups and individuals in the UN 1267 sanctions committee.

“The case for designating Masood Azhar – the leader of a group the UN already calls an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organization – is undeniable,” it asserted.

“China’s move to hold the listing is inconsistent with its own stated goals of combatting terrorism and furthering regional stability in South Asia. If China is serious about these goals, it should not protect terrorists from Pakistan or any other country from being held accountable to the Council.” It said

“If China continues to block this designation, responsible member states may be forced to pursue other actions at the Security Council. It shouldn’t have to come to that” the US stated.

Ahead of the end of no-objection period, US had State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino had said “Azhar is the founder and the leader of the JeM, and he meets the criteria for designation by the United Nations.”

“JeM, he said, has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks and is a threat to regional stability and peace.” The US and India work closely together on counterterrorism efforts, and that includes at the United Nations, he added, noting that their views on the Jaish-e-Mohammed and its founder are well known.

"The United States and China share a mutual interest in achieving regional stability and peace, and that a failure to designate Azhar would run counter to this goal,” he had said.