Did India force China to dump its all-weather friend Pakistan?
India achieved a major diplomatic victory over Pakistan—and China—when the association of BRICS nations condemned terror by naming several Pakistan-sponsored terror networks such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Haqqani network and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. Notably, China has been trying hard to prevent any mention of terror in the joint statement. China said on Thursday that concerns over Pakistan’s counter-terrorism record were not an appropriate topic to be discussed at the BRICS summit. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson had said the world should rather recognise Pakistan’s contribution to fighting terrorism. Before the beginning of the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping too appeared to pre-empt Prime Minister Narendra Modi on terrorism by calling for a “holistic” approach that includes addressing “symptoms and root causes”. The joint statement against terror groups becomes all the more significant because China has been blocking India’s efforts to get Jaish chief Masood Azhar designated a terrorist by the UN. In the previous BRICS Summit at Goa last October, neither the term ‘cross-border terror’ was mentioned in the declaration nor groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish named. The Goa Summit, however, expressed solidarity with India in the backdrop of the Uri attacks and called for ‘comprehensive approach’ in countering international terror. PM Modi had described Pakistan as a “mothership” of terror. The joint statement from the ongoing BRICS Summit signifies India’s rising global clout and its hardening posture against China. It also indicates that Pakistan’s reliance on China and drifting away from the US will not be too favourable for it. India has been making relentless efforts since the Uri attack to isolate Pakistan and has achieved considerable success as the US—Pakistan’s biggest benefactor—has turned away from it. The BRICS joint statement on terror further isolates Pakistan and would discourage China from openly supporting Pakistan on terror. idrw.org .Read more at India No 1 Defence News Website http://idrw.org/did-india-force-china-to-dump-its-all-weather-friend-pakistan/ .
