China blocks UN bid to blacklist Pak mastermind

China has blocked a request from India to add the head of the Pakistani militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad to a UN sanctions blacklist, UN diplomats said Friday.

India accuses Masood Azhar of involvement in an attack on the Pathankot air base in the northern state of Punjab in January.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi said that the request to add the militant leader to the UN al-Qaeda/Islamic State sanctions list did not meet certain requirements, but did not elaborate.

"Any listing would have to meet the necessary requirements," said Liu. "It is the responsibility of all members of the council to make sure that these requirements are followed."

UN diplomats said the request would be discussed by the sanctions committee on April 20 and that China would then provide an update on its decision to oppose the request.

The Pakistani extremist Islamist group, which is fighting Indian control of Kashmir, has already been blacklisted by the UN Security Council, but not Azhar.

India was highly critical of the move.

"We find it incomprehensible that while the Pakistan-based JeM was listed in UN Security Council Committee established under UN Security Council Resolution 1267/1989/2253 as far back as 2001 for its well known terror activities and links to the al-Qaeda, the designation of the group's main leader, financier and motivator has been put on a technical hold, " India warned in a statement.