ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday endorsed the Chinese version regarding Xinjiang’s 1.5 million Uyghur Muslims who have been allegedly facing stern human rights violations on a massive scale.
In an interaction with Chinese journalists, Khan observed that Beijing’s version on the issue was completely opposite to “what we hear from the western media and western governments.”
“Because we have a very strong relationship with China and because we have a relationship based on trust, we actually accept the Chinese version,” the prime minister said.
He noted that there were “much worse human rights issues” in the world that were not raised by the international press while referring to the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir.
“And we hear about Xinjiang and Hong Kong which is a bit hypocritical,” he continued.
Human Rights Watch, an international non-governmental organization, claimed in one of its reports earlier this year that about a million Muslims in Xinjiang had been “arbitrarily detained in 300 to 400 facilities” that included “’political education’ camps, pretrial detention centers, and prisons.”
“Given the gravity of the abuses against Turkic Muslims, there is a pressing need for concerned governments to take strong, coordinated action to advance accountability,” the HRW said while recommending a UN inquiry into the alleged rights abuses against the Uyghur community.
Last month, the prime minister refused to acknowledge reports about Uyghur Muslims during an interview with Axios on HBO channel, saying: “Whatever issues we have with the Chinese, we speak to them behind closed doors.”
“China has been one of the greatest friends to us in our most difficult times,” he maintained. “When we were really struggling, our economy was struggling, China came to our rescue. So, we respect the way they are.”
This is the first time, however, Khan has publicly endorsed the Chinses version on Xinjiang.
Last October, Pakistan’s National Security Advisory Dr. Moeed Yusuf told an Indian journalist Karan Thapar that Islamabad was not worried about the situation in Xinjiang.
“We are 100 percent satisfied it is a non-issue,” he told the interviewer. “The West can say what it wants. I can say to you as a responsible official that we know everything about Uighurs and it is a non-issue.”
Pakistan and China are celebrating 70 years of their diplomatic relations this year.
Pakistan accepts ‘China’s version’ on Xinjiang’s Uyghur Muslims — PM Khan
https://arab.news/z578a
Pakistan accepts ‘China’s version’ on Xinjiang’s Uyghur Muslims — PM Khan
- This is the first time a Pakistani prime minister has publicly endorsed Beijing’s narrative on the issue
- International rights groups have demanded UN investigation into the alleged persecution of Muslims in China’s northwest region
Pakistani minister urges universal rights, dialogue at UN civilizations forum in Riyadh
- Musadik Malik warns selective application of human rights and weakening multilateralism risk deepening global divisions
- The minister also mentions water rights and urges equitable sharing by upper riparian states to support regional stability
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s climate change minister said principles of justice and human rights must be applied universally, according to an official statement released on Monday, warning against selective enforcement as he addressed a United Nations forum in Saudi Arabia focused on dialogue among civilizations.
The remarks came at the 11th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), held in Riyadh to mark the body’s 20th anniversary. The forum brings together political leaders, policymakers, and civil society groups to promote dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation across cultures and religions.
Its latest edition comes at a time of growing geopolitical fragmentation and conflict.
“I am firmly committed to women’s rights, minority rights, environmental rights, and children’s rights,” Musadik Malik said while addressing the gathering. “These rights are fundamental and non-negotiable.”
He said the global order was increasingly marked by weakening multilateralism, rising conflicts, and declining international funding for development and environmental priorities, cautioning that unilateral actions were replacing collective approaches with consequences for global peace and justice.
Malik questioned what he described as the selective application of human rights principles, drawing attention to the situations in Palestine and Kashmir, and said the rights of people in those regions must be recognized and protected in line with international norms.
The minister also highlighted water rights as a growing source of regional tension, emphasizing the responsibility of upper riparian states to ensure equitable and just sharing of water resources with downstream countries to support stability and sustainable development.
His statement comes months after India said unilaterally it was holding the Indus Waters Treaty “in abeyance,” a move described as illegal by the administration in Islamabad and as “an act of war.”
The 1960 agreement between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank, divides the rivers of the Indus basin between the two countries and sets rules for how they can use and manage shared water resources to avoid conflict.
Malik said the UNAOC’s 20th anniversary was a timely reminder of the need to recommit to dialogue, peace, and mutual respect in an increasingly divided world.
