Imran Khan defends China's mistreatment of Uyghurs; 'Xinjiang not what media portrays'

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan turned a blind eye to the mass human rights abuse and suppression of Uyghur Muslims in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), slamming Western media for its portrayal of the issues. In an exclusive interview with CNN on Sunday, Khan said that the Pakistan envoy to China Moinul Haq had visited XUAR and asserted that the situation is "not what the Western media portrays." Defending its closest ally, Khan dodged detailed questions on the repressive actions of Beijing against the Uyghur community in China and diverted to the Kashmir issue.

The Pakistan PM, who has long projected himself as the champion of Islamic causes, has continued to offer his support to China on its policies regarding the Uyghur diaspora. His remarks on the Muslim-majority province of Xinjiang came as over 240 global rights groups have called for actions against China for its acts arbitrary crackdown and detentions of ethnic Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang. Addressing the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 on February 4, Khan had also vouched for the 'One China Policy', under which Beijing recognises break-away Taiwan as a part of China.

It is to mention that at least 2 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have allegedly been placed in detention centres across the western Chinese province of Xinjiang, as per US State Department. There have also been reports of a sprawling network of forced labour, attempted indoctrination, physical abuse, and even sterilization of the members of the community as a part of China's Sinicisation bid. The US and several western parliaments have dubbed Chinese actions in XUAR as "genocide."

Why is Pakistan supportive of China?

Notably, Islamabad's support to China on issues related to the latter's expansionist approach, including human rights abuse, One China Policy, and claims over South-China Sea comes Pakistan continues to remain friend and trading partner of Beijing. Pakistan has greatly benefited from the Chinese infrastructure spending in Gwadar Port, as a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The initiative is a billion-dollar worth flagship project aimed to open trade gates to oil-rich nations of the Middle East.

This is not the first time PM Khan avoided criticising China for its harassment of minority communities inside and outside China. Earlier in 2021, Khan had also refuted reports of China's suppression of Uyghurs in an interview with Axios, saying that Beijing had clarified allegations of abuse in "private conversations" with Islamabad. He has always tend to see through the questions, oftentimes diverting them to the Kashmir issue, which he says is "more relevant." Earlier in 2019, Khan had also told the Financial Times that he "did not much" about the reports of mass detentions in western Chinese regions.

(Image: AP)