China’s logic of putting on hold JeM chief Masood Azhar being declared as global terrorist, on the excuse that he does not meet the criteria for it, does not sound to be convincing to anyone, when JeM itself as an organisation was declared a terrorist organisation in 2001, because of her links with al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations. This act is a repeat exercise of their support to their all weather friend Pakistan last year in case of Lakhvi of banned LeT, accused of masterminding Mumbai blast in 2008, to appease Pakistan supported terrorist groups.
China may feel that these actions of appeasing the terrorist groups and showing support to Pakistan are in their strategic interest to keep insurgency in Xinjiang under control and restricted to fringes, but are against the global mood, besides being irksome to India. These highlight the double game by most global powers to help some countries/regimes/terrorist groups suiting their strategic interest and fight those which do not suit them.
Chinese gamble of investing in Pakistan (which hosts maximum No of terrorist groups in the world) and their terrorist groups can backfire, as some of these terrorist groups like TTP, are not controlled by Pakistan establishment and are attacking Pakistani military itself. Most of them do not like any foreign presence including US and China, even at the cost of development, hence this gesture may not give China a license of safety of CPEC or hold fire in Xinjiang. The kind of terrorist recruitment and actions seen in last few months may not leave Chinese diaspora immune to such activity, and can cause a threat to otherwise safe Eastern seaboard, after all no one imagined 9/11 in US, till it actually happened.
In view of global methodology of terrorist actions, Chinese thinkers may like to deliberate more on this issue.
Asthana Writes 