Hours after China blocked India's move to bring Pakistan-based militant Maulana Masood Azhar under a United Nation's (UN) blacklist, New Delhi has registered a strong protest against Beijing's pro-Islamabad stance.

Although India did not directly accuse China of anything, a flurry of angry statements delivered by the spokesperson for the Indian government on Friday were apparently directed towards Beijing.

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"We find it incomprehensible that while the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad was listed ... as far back as 2001 for its well-known terror activities and links to al Qaeda, the designation of the group's main leader, financier and motivator, has been put on a technical hold," Indian government spokesman Vikas Swarup said in Washington. "This does not reflect well on the determination that the international community needs to display to decisively defeat the menace of terrorism."

China, one of the five permanent UN members that has veto power, said that Azhar cannot be blacklisted due to technical grounds.

"Any listing would have to meet the requirements [for blacklisting]," China's U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi said.

India alleges that Azhar was the main mastermind behind the terrorist attack on Pathankot Air Force on January 2, 2016. The deadly attack left about seven Indian soldiers dead. 

Since the Pathankot attack, India has been demanding that the UN blacklists Azhar. This would include freezing his assets and restricting his travels.

Azhar's organization Jaish-e-Mohammed was banned by the UN in 2001, after India alleged that the terrorist organization was behind an attack on the Indian parliament in 2001.  

This is not the first time China has vetoed against India

China has used its veto power against India in the past. In 2008, at the behest of Pakistan, China vetoed against India's move to ban Maulana Masood Azhar. This was for first time that India demanded that the UN blacklists Azhar.

In 2015, China similarly blocked India's move in the UN to take a punitive actions against Pakistani militant Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Lakhvi has been accused by New Delhi of being one of the main masterminds behind a deadly terrorist attack in the Indian city of Mumbai.  

China and Pakistan, whom are close allies, share an acrimonious relationship with India. Both have fought wars with India in the past. China fought a war against India in 1962 over Himalayan region of Tibet, while Pakistan has fought four wars against India over the disputed region of Kashmir.

Tagschina, India, Pakistan, Maulana Masood Azhar, Jaish-e-Mohammad