Amid the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring that led to the UN blacklisting of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, Pakistan used China to pressure Indonesia, the chair of the 1267 Sanctions Committee, to put off a key meeting to May 6 so that the Narendra Modi government couldn’t derive political mileage from the issue.

According to diplomats based in New York and New Delhi, the US led from the front and gave China the first ultimatum of making a decision on lifting its technical hold on Azhar’s listing by April 23, failing which it would take the matter to the UN Security Council.

Amid the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring that led to the UN blacklisting of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, Pakistan used China to pressure Indonesia, the chair of the 1267 Sanctions Committee, to put off a key meeting to May 6 so that the Narendra Modi government couldn’t derive political mileage from the issue.

According to diplomats based in New York and New Delhi, the US led from the front and gave China the first ultimatum of making a decision on lifting its technical hold on Azhar’s listing by April 23, failing which it would take the matter to the UN Security Council.