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XINHUA-PAKISTAN SERVICE

Accusing Pakistan for terrorist act in Indian held-Kashmir unjustified: Says Chinese mediaBreaking

February 18, 2019

BEIJING, Feb 18 (INP): Leading Chinese newspaper, the Global Times in a report condemned Indian’s mindset accusing Pakistan for terrorist acts without any solid proof.

It is totally unjustified for blaming Pakistan for the terror strike for which a terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed took the responsibility.

The report published in the paper on Monday noted that blind anger toward China was ignited after the incident.

Some Indian analysts sought to link the deadly attack to "China's continued protection" of the perpetrators. By refusing to back India's appeal to list Masood Azhar, leader of terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, as a global terrorist by the UN, they argued, China is supporting terrorism against India.

Citing China's refusal to support the bid to have Azhar blacklisted by the UN, India in recent years has aggressively blamed China for allying with Pakistan in shielding terrorists.

According to the report, it disregards the fact that as a victim of terrorism itself, China has pledged to support the international community's anti-terrorism efforts and stands ready to work with India and all other countries to fight terrorism.

As for the issue of listing Azhar, Beijing has reiterated its stand several times that New Delhi should provide solid facts and proofs for banning Azhar. China has reason to cautiously handle the issue.

Observers worry that blacklisting Azhar could be used by India to increase its military pressure on Pakistan, thus risking exacerbating tensions between the two countries.

With the proscription of Azhar becoming a contentious issue that impedes China-India relations, some Chinese scholars advise that China take India's concern more into account. But Liu Zongyi, a senior fellow of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, told the Global Times that India should, first of all, mind its approach. Should New Delhi resort to quiet diplomacy instead of extensively directing aggressive rhetoric to pressure Beijing, the Azhar issue could have been better addressed.

Terrorism in India poses a significant threat to Indians. Without solid evidence, India has long accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorist attacks by Jaish-e-Mohammed and other militant groups and China of providing uncritical support for Pakistan.

Instead of simply blaming other countries, especially Pakistan and China, shouldn't the Indian government make more self-introspection on its anti-terrorism policy and dwell more on how to better administer the India-controlled part of Kashmir?

China and Pakistan are not enemies of India in countering terrorism. Despite the India-Pakistan dispute, New Delhi has common interests in fighting terrorism with Islamabad and Beijing.

With the approaching general election in India, nationalism could be easily fanned and used by politicians to woo support. Blaming China and Pakistan for the terrorist attack will arouse Indians' anxieties over neighboring countries.

A tough stance by the BJP government may help the ruling party win more support. But this will risk anti-terrorism cooperation being sabotaged for the political interests of parties in India.

INP/J/AJ