For a party which has made fight against terrorism and surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir one of its election issues in Uttar Pradesh, US President Donald Trump’s move to push for a UN -sponsored ban on Pakistani terrorist and Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar could boost BJP’s campaign in the crucial Assembly elections in the state as well as other poll-bound states like Uttarakhand and Manipur.
Banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal charisma, BJP is fighting Assembly elections in the state against a formidable alliance of Samajwadi Party-Congress and a strong Bahujan Samaj Party led by Mayawati. The are some other smaller candidates also in the fray. The first phase of the seven-phase assembly elections in the state would take place on February 11.
As the campaign heat grows, BJP would certainly employ all the weapons in its arsenal to woo the voters. Fight against terrorism not just on the borders, but also against terror elements present on the Indian territory is one of the issues BJP always try to bank on, sometimes with success as well. This was the reason why Opposition parties ganged up against the BJP after the Indian Army successfully conducted surgical strikes in PoK after some of the saffron leaders allegedly tried to score some political brownie points from the first of its kind operation allowed by the Union government.
However, the American move against Jaish-e-Mohammad chief, despite the open opposition from China, would provide the BJP with another tool to convince voters as to how even the most powerful country in the world is supporting PM Modi’s initiatives.
The threat from radical Islamic terrorism is very real, just look at what is happening in Europe and the Middle-East. Courts must act fast!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 7, 2017
According to PTI, the American proposal came a just a few weeks after India’s move to get Azhar banned by the UN was blocked by China in December last. Senior officials told PTI that the US’ current move at the UN’s Sanctions
Committee 1267 in the second-half of last month was also supported by the UK and France. China, however, again stymied the move.
India’s demand for a UN-sponsored ban on Masood Azhar, who is considered as a mastermind of several terrorist attacks on Indian soil, has been pending for long due to opposition from China and Pakistan. With the US push for the ban, China may have to either support the matter or risk further deteriorating relations with the US. The newly appointed US President Trump has taken a series of measures to discourage terror elements in the world and vowed to eleminate “radical Islamic terrorism from the face of the Earth”.
