PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20 July 2023
contact@east-turkistan.net
+1 202 599 2244, Ext: 1
www.East-Turkistan.net
WASHINGTON– In an appalling display of moral bankruptcy, a Pakistani religious delegation, representing the Council of Islamic Ideology, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and Islami Tehreek Pakistan, recently visited Chinese-Occupied East Turkistan. Their visit aimed to voice unwavering support for China’s atrocious actions in East Turkistan and foster future China-Pakistan cooperation, sparking outrage within the East Turkistani diaspora. The East Turkistan Government in Exile vehemently condemns this reprehensible act, denouncing Pakistan’s shameful hypocrisy and complicity in endorsing China’s ruthless campaign of colonization, genocide, and occupation in East Turkistan.
Prime Minister Salih Hudayar declared, “The world witnesses Pakistan’s moral bankruptcy as it stands by China’s genocidal actions. Pakistan must break free from its treacherous alliance and unequivocally condemn China’s crimes in Occupied East Turkistan.”
The meeting, as reported by Chinese state mouthpieces the Xinjiang Daily and the Global Times, showcased the presence of influential Pakistani religious leaders, including Council of Islamic Ideology’s Chairman Qibla Ayaz, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Deputy Amir of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and Maulana Tayyab Tahir, Amir of Islami Tehreek Pakistan.
The Pakistani delegation callously praised China’s colonial and genocidal ethnic and religious policies in East Turkistan while conveniently ignoring the horrifying genocide, Islamophobia, and grave human rights abuses inflicted upon the Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim Turkic populations of East Turkistan. This endorsement not only defies justice and humanity but also betrays the very teachings and principles of Islam, as much of the world stands united against China’s flagrant violations of human rights and religious freedom in East Turkistan.
Since 2014, China has been committing genocide against Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan. The Chinese government has imprisoned millions of Uyghurs under the guise of “counter-terrorism and counter-extremism,”forcing them to disavow their ethnic, national, and religious-Islamic identities and subjecting them to slave labor, forced sterilization, and organ harvesting. The Chinese government has destroyed over 16,000 mosques in East Turkistan, banned Islamic holidays, many Muslim names, and the Islamic greeting “Assalam Aleykum.”
East Turkistan Government in Exile President Ghulam Yaghma stated, “Pakistan’s religious delegation’s endorsement of China’s atrocities in East Turkistan is a despicable betrayal, not only to the suffering Uyghurs and all East Turkistani Muslims but also to the Islamic faith itself.”
Pakistan’s opportunistic relationship with China has repeatedly compromised its supposed commitment to protecting Muslim human rights and promoting justice. By willingly turning a blind eye to China’s brutal suppression of the Uyghurs, Pakistan has become an accomplice to this humanitarian catastrophe, stained by the blood of innocent lives.
As many nations united to condemn China’s ongoing in East Turkistan, Pakistan stands at a crossroads – a choice between complicity in genocide and betrayal of the Islamic faith or the embrace of humanity and justice. The East Turkistani people demand that Pakistan discard its shameful allegiance to China and stand in solidarity with the oppressed Muslims of Occupied East Turkistan.
“Pakistan must shed its hypocritical cloak and join the global community in demanding an immediate cessation of China’s monstrous actions in Occupied East Turkistan. We call on Pakistan to uphold the true principles of Islam, prioritize humanity over economic and political interests, and cease its support for China’s genocidal and anti-Islamic campaign in East Turkistan,” said Abdullah Khoja, the East Turkistan Government in Exile’s Minister of Religious Affairs.
