Pakistan has told its all-weather ally China to lift the technical hold on the United Nations listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist on the condition that India carries out a military de-escalation on the border and resumes bilateral dialogue with Islamabad on all outstanding issues including Kashmir, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

According to Indian and US diplomats based in New York, China is understood to have conveyed Pakistan’s preconditions to the US but the Trump administration was not impressed and Washington told Beijing that the listing of Azhar and the resumption of the India-Pakistan bilateral dialogue are not linked in any way.

After China put a technical hold on Azhar listing for the fourth time , the three key members of P-5 of the UNSC asked Beijing to come up with specific reasons for the hold in two weeks. This deadline expires this week and US counter-terror representatives have signalled their intent to designate Azhar as a global terrorist, the diplomats added.

Pakistan’s stance on Azhar has seemed in flux over the past few weeks, with Rawalpindi GHQ telling New Delhi , through back channels on February 27, that Islamabad will ask Beijing not to put a hold on Azhar’s listing.

Masood Azhar is bedridden with a life-threatening spinal ailment at Markaz Usman-o-Ali seminary on Railway Link Road in Bhawalpur, Punjab. The terrorist group now functions from Markaz Subhanallah, Karachi Road, Bhawalpur, which contains the grave of Azhar’s father Allah Baksh Sabir Alvi.Although India has left it to its key allies to get Azhar listed, the US is peeved with China’s effort on behalf of Pakistan, the diplomats said.

Since the February 26 Indian strike on JeM’s terror training camp at Balakot, Pakistan’s military has been deployed on its eastern borders with India, and the country has just lifted , strict restrictions on its airspace that were put in place for unhindered military flying.

Pakistan is trying to convince the 10 non-permanent members of the UNSC, all of whom were in favour of the listing of Azhar, that India’s military posture is related to the forthcoming general elections in the world’s largest democracy.