The Xinjiang Problem and Pakistan

[RayKalm]

China is clear that Xinjiang violence is fanned by movements percolating in two states: Pakistan and Kazakhstan. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

The Xinjiang problem and Pakistan – The Express Tribune

On February 28, the Xinjiang province of China abutting on Pakistan’s northern frontier of Gilgit-Baltistan, experienced yet another bout of violence. A group of assailants knifed 10 people to death on a street of Yecheng city. The local police shot and killed two of them as the Chinese foreign ministry announced that the attackers were terrorists and that they had “attacked innocent civilians, cruelly killing several of them in an appalling manner”.

The nationality original to Xinjiang is called Uighur and is Muslim by faith. Its exiled representatives in Germany had their own version of the incident, calling the assailants people made desperate because they “could no longer bear China’s systematic repression, and have been denied outlets for peaceful protest”. The problem is ethnic-religious and relates to the universal phenomenon of sub-identities inside a nation state, with some dubious input from the outside. The Chinese recipe for the problem’s solution is rapid economic growth, nation-building and prosperity of the common man. Some of the elements are familiar to us. The Uighur community feels overwhelmed by the movement of the majority Han Chinese into the province; and there are clear ethnic-linguistic markers that the resulting contrast of talents throws up as contributors to intra-state conflict. The Chinese solution is also well accepted.

In fact, one reason we give for the unrest in our own province of Balochistan is long periods of neglect and lack of economic progress. While it is questionable that India and the US have and are fomenting trouble in Balochistan, China is clear that the Xinjiang violence despite high growth has been fanned by religious-jihadi movements percolating in two neighbouring states: Pakistan and Kazakhstan. Both states have joined the Shanghai Forum organised by China to prevent the rise of terrorism in the region. Pakistan has taken effective action against al Qaeda-linked elements in our Tribal Areas attracting Uighur recruits from Xinjiang. The Chinese authorities have recognised this and have been very understanding, despite capturing local terrorists who confessed to receiving training in Waziristan. Like Balochistan, Xinjiang is mineral-rich and is strategically crucial to the security of China. Like India (Assam) and Pakistan, movements of separatism have been based on the collective awareness — or illusion — about the minerals as pillars of a new sustainable state. The truth, however, is that such states are not viable for other reasons, as Sardar Ataullah Mengal recently tried to tell the Baloch rebels. What is viable is economic development mixed liberally with autonomy. And this is what Pakistan seems to aim at in this late hour. However, in China, despite development and autonomy the nature of terrorism, because of its religious base, refuses to accept the modern state.

 

[Paan Singh]

China is clear that Xinjiang violence is fanned by movements percolating in two states: Pakistan and Kazakhstan

it should be a message to those who brings india in this.

 

[Raphael]

^so paranoid. I don't think anyone would claim that Indians have tried to split off Xinjiang.

 

[IndoUS]

^so paranoid. I don't think anyone would claim that Indians have tried to split off Xinjiang.

You will be surprised is to how many think that way.

 

[Paan Singh]

^so paranoid. I don't think anyone would claim that Indians have tried to split off Xinjiang.

you didnt see the comments of pakistsis and chinese here.They were blaming indians

 

[Fanling Monk]

Judging by the weapons and methods they used, they are just an unorganized bunch. I'll be surprised they received any outside helps at all, let alone highly organized ones.

China is doing a good job. Stop them cold!

 

[Raphael]

you didnt see the comments of pakistsis and chinese here.They were blaming indians

Haha. I think India has been duplicitous with Tibet, but quite well-behaved on Xinjiang. They know that Xinjiang is intimately connected with Kashmir, and breaking off Xinjiang will guarantee Kashmiri independence.

 

[Sasquatch]

Judging by the weapons and methods they used, they are just an unorganized bunch. I'll be surprised they received any outside helps at all, let alone highly organized ones.

China is doing a good job. Stop them cold!

Most are low level attacks and their leaders have been killed off, as far as I'm concerned give a bullet to the head of any terrorists that tries to attack civilians.

 

[American Pakistani]

it should be a message to those who brings india in this.

And who is supporting those terrorists of TTP & BLA fanatics from Afghanistan,? india.

Pakistan is doing it's work on crushing terrorists sponsered by RAW terrorists. Pakistan consider Xinjiang as internal issue of China. Also to be noted that it is China's Xinjiang province that borders Pakistan's G-Baltistan province & that's the only land link between the two nations.

 

[fly2012]

Economic growth does help, a lot. Almost all trouble makers are from Southern Xinjiang, a relative poor area. It is ironic that almost all han/hui migrants are in northern Xinjiang yet ethnic tension is very rare. That's the reason China was shocked at 2009 Urumuqi incident in northern Xinjiang (Almost none of the killers are locals).

China is planning to make Kashgar an economic center to reduce extremism. It is challenging for a few reasons:
1. Water shortage - A lot of ideas were thrown in and there's even crazy plans to bring sea water across China to this area.
2. No big cities around for trading. There's no simple solution for this, that's the reason China hope that Pakistan-China railway will bring business to this area.

Last year when I visited China on the train home I sat across an Uyghur guy from Aksu who travelled all across China to my hometown to buy two cars. He spoke only a few words of Chinese so we didn't talk too much. He told me his family make $80,000 that year just planting cotton. He's apparently very proud of it and looked really happy. I don't think he will start to kill around.

 

[SinoChallenger]

Americans in Afghanistan are organizing and training them.

 

[RayKalm]

Americans in Afghanistan are organizing and training them.

Now, this is something I never heard before, yet, sounds perfectly true.

 

[Omar1984]

Xinjiang split from China is not in Pakistan's interest. Why would we want another Afghanistan in our north-east that can be easily accessible to our rival india when we have a friendly emerging global power instead who is anti-india.

Gilgit-Blatistan (the region of Pakistan that borders China) had another terrorist attack a few days ago.

Kohistan massacre: Gilgit remains tense as politicians play blame game – The Express Tribune

I would not be surprised if American-sponsored terrorists have made their way into Gilgit-Baltistan and crossed into Xinjiang, China. Pakistan and China need to do a joint investigation.

 

[Sonyuke_Songpaisan]

If some country in west asia can accept the so-called brothers and sisters in xinjiang China, China will be very happy to let our own land for our own people.

 

[Shardul.....the lion]

So a new wave of conspiracy theoris,
america is sponsoring xinjiang trouble makers, good one.