Pakistan, an all-weather friend of China, has so far turned a blind eye to human rights abuses of Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang Province despite appeal by the entire world community. However, Pakistan has now gone further by officially proclaiming that it accepts China’s version of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

It has been widely reported that millions of Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang Province are suffering genocide at the hands of the ruling Communist Party of China. However, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, speaking to a Chinese reporter, said the Chinese version of the Uyghur situation was completely different from what was reported in Western media.

As Dawn reports, Imran Khan said, “Due to our proximity and extreme relationship with China, we actually accept the Chinese version. This means that Imran Khan brazenly admitted that Pakistan will continue to believe the Chinese version simply because China has generously given alms and charity to Pakistan.

Pakistan’s hypocritical position

Imran Khan said it was hypocritical to say that while the situation of Uyghurs and Hong Kong was highlighted, attention was not paid to human rights violations in Kashmir. However, what is really hypocritical is that Pakistan is pointing fingers at Kashmir as it continues to allow atrocities against minorities on its own soil and also goes silent when asked to comment on China. It is a known fact that women of Hindu, Sikh and other religious minorities in Pakistan are abducted in broad daylight and forcibly married off to men of Islam. In addition, minority religious institutions have been vandalized in Pakistan, as law enforcement mechanisms do nothing to stop crimes against minorities.

Regarding Kashmir, it is also important to note that the Indian government recently held an unprecedented meeting with all political parties in Jammu and Kashmir and ensured that J&K would be granted full state status and that elections would also take place after the delimitation exercise. of the territory of the Union.

Earlier, when asked in an interview by Axios about the situation of the Uyghurs, Imran Khan had dodged the question by saying that any conversation with China would take place “behind closed doors”.

Despite claiming to fight discrimination against Muslims around the world, Pakistan has repeatedly maintained silence when asked about atrocities against Uyghur Muslims in China, while continuing to peddle false accounts of Jammu and Kashmir, although it has failed to draw attention to the same subject even from Islamic countries as they strongly believe in Indian democracy. The Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an international organization of Islamic countries, refused to interfere in the J&K issue and categorically stated that the repeal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the division of the State in two Union Territories is an Indian affair. In addition, it is well known that Pakistan, through its state and non-state actors, continues to facilitate infiltration into India.

Genocide of Uyghur Muslims

About 11 million Uyghurs – ethnic Muslims – live in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. Attempting a systemic cleansing of the indigenous population, the Chinese government is said to have imprisoned over a million people and subjected them to severe ill-treatment, forced sterilization, forced labor, suppression of Uyghur religious practices, political indoctrination among several other related issues. human rights, while those who are not detained also face intense surveillance, religious restrictions, forced labor and sterilizations.

According to international media, most of the people in the camps have never been charged with any crimes and have no legal way to challenge their detention. The detainees appear to have been targeted for a variety of reasons, according to media reports, including traveling to or contacting people from one of the twenty-six countries that China considers sensitive, such as Turkey and Afghanistan, to attend services. in mosques, having more than three children, sending texts containing Koranic verses.

In May of this year, countries participating in the G7 summit openly called on China for its violations of the human rights of Uyghur Muslims, in addition to criticizing China’s military assertion in the South China Sea and issues surrounding Hong Kong. . United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called for meaningful access to verify serious reports of human rights violations and genocide against Uyghur Muslims. But China has blatantly refused to allow any investigation, saying the UN human rights official is welcome for a friendly visit but not to continue an investigation.