(TibetanReview.net, Apr27’25) – As India and China marked progress in normalizing bilateral ties with the announcement of the resumption of the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage in western Tibet for Indian believers from Jun 30 after a gap of nearly five years, the latter is accused of helping Pakistan to water down the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution condemning the gruesome terrorist gunning down of 26 tourists in Kashmir on Apr 22.
The four terrorists who carried out the selective killing of the tourists, including one from Nepal, near Pahalgam were stated to consist of three Pakistani and one local terrorists. The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy backed by Pakistan’s military intelligence apparatus, has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.
Pakistan, a non-permanent member of the UNSC, united with the other 14 member nations to vehemently denounce the Pahalgam attack in an Apr 25 resolution. However, the level of the condemnation was influenced by discussions with China aimed at softening the language used, reported The Times of India Apr 27.
The report noted that while Pakistan has firmly denied any involvement in the deadly incident, its previous statements had only conveyed concern over the tragic loss of life.
On Apr 27, China backed its close ally Pakistan in “safeguarding its sovereignty and security interests”, with foreign minister Wang Yi calling on New Delhi and Islamabad to exercise restrain in the aftermath of the terror attack in Pahalgam, reported hindustantimes.com.
During a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, Wang said China is closely following developments after the terror attack and backs an “impartial investigation” into the incident, the report said, citing a readout from China’s foreign ministry.
With regard to the substance of the UNSC resolution, the report said it emphasized the importance of global cooperation to ensure that those responsible for the “reprehensible act of terrorism” are brought to justice.
However, in contrast with the UNSC’s earlier resolution following the 2019 Pulwama attack (also in Kashmir), which called for all nations to collaborate with the “government of India,” the Apr 25 statement war markedly neutral, referencing “all relevant authorities” without specifying India.
The report said efforts by Pakistan and China were evident in their attempts to adjust the phrasing of the UNSC statement.
China has in the past regularly prevented the UNSC from sanctioning Pakistan-based terrorists for attacks in India by effectively vetoing any such move.
Also, Pakistan has boasted its iron-clad ties with all-weather-friend China while reacting to India’s current retaliatory move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with it of 1960, which governs the use of water from six rivers in the Indus basin. The river system is a crucial life-line for Pakistan.
In the Pulwama attack on Feb 14 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying Indian security personnel on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethapora in the Pulwama district of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The attack killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel as well as the perpetrator — Adil Ahmad Dar— who was a local Kashmiri youth from the Pulwama district. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed.