Imran Khan to attend opening ceremony of Bejing Olympics amidst the West’s diplomatic boycott

On Thursday (January 13), the Foreign Office of Pakistan knowledgeable that Prime Minister Imran Khan would attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which is scheduled to happen on February 4 this 12 months. The growth comes amidst stories of a diplomatic snub to the mega occasion by Western international locations such because the US, UK, Australia, Canada and Denmark.
As per stories, Khan can be happening a State go to to China between February 3 and 5, following an invite by its Premier Xi Jinping. While briefing the media, Foreign Office spokesman Asim Iftikhar Ahmed stated that Pakistan and China will focus on the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative and different issues.
It have to be talked about that though athletes from internationally will take part within the occasion, the dignitaries of the Western international locations will stay absent. China has been going through fierce criticism from Human Rights Watch (HRW) over the atrocities dedicated towards the Uyghur Muslims. HRW Executive director Kenneth Roth identified that the Communist regime needed to gloss over its ‘horrible’ report in upholding human rights by organising the Winter Olympics.
In December final 12 months, the Pakistani Foreign Office prolonged help to China over the internet hosting of the Winter Olympics. In an announcement, it stated, “Pakistan opposes any form of politicisation of sports and hopes that all nations would come together in Beijing and afford their athletes the opportunity to compete against the best and showcase their skill.”
Spokesman Iftikar Ahmed had added, “We are confident that despite limitations imposed by Covid-19, the Beijing Winter Olympics would offer a spectacular and colourful gala to sports enthusiasts around the world, including in Pakistan.”
Dilpomatic boycott by Western nations and Chinese response
Imran Khan had determined to go to China at a time when the Communist nation is being held to account for committing gross human rights abuse, particularly towards the Uyghur Muslims within the restive province of Xinjiang. Amid a bitter commerce battle between Australia and China, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had in December 2021 introduced that his nation would diplomatically boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over ‘human rights abuses’.
Besides, USA and Australia, many different international locations are contemplating boycotting and restricted illustration on the Winter Olympics on the problem of human rights violations and others. The China-Australia relations collapsed final 12 months and Morrison stated the choice of Australia was not shocking. He stated that human rights abuses in Xinjiang had been one of many components behind the diplomatic boycott.
A spokesperson from China’s embassy in Canberra has retorted saying that some Australian politicians had been engaged in political posturing. The Chinese embassy in Ottawa reacted to China going through isolation. “The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are about athletic excellence and global unity. Stop using it as a platform for grandstanding and division,” it stated.
Furthermore, the Scandinavian nation of Denmark had introduced that it will be part of the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics by not sending an official diplomatic delegation to the sporting occasion over the nation’s human rights points.
“It is no secret that we from the Danish side are very concerned about the human rights situation in China. The government has decided that we will not attend the Winter Olympics in China,” Jeppe Kofod, the Foreign Minister of Denmark lately stated.
The Torture of Uyghur Muslims
According to a 2017 report by the top of the Institute of Sociology on the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, the growing Muslim inhabitants in Xinjiang contributed to elevated political threat, poverty and extremism. One of the explanations cited behind their excessive delivery charges was the Islamic perception that the foetus was a present from God.
However, specialists are of the view that it’s a technique of the Communist Party of China (CCP) to strip Uyghurs of their non secular and ethnic identification and assimilate them into the dominant Han Chinese ethnicity. While Uyghur Muslims are sometimes subjected to re-educational applications, compelled labour, and digital surveillance, their youngsters are indoctrinated in orphanages.
Reportedly, Uyghur Muslims have been the topic of a large crackdown since 2017. They had been held up in prisons for praying, travelling overseas, and even utilizing social media beneath the pretext of containing ‘ religious extremism’. According to researcher Zenz, two counties and townships have directed authorities to depart no ‘blind spots’, include unlawful births, and reduce fertility ranges.
As such officers started attempting to find pregnant ladies and directing ethnic minorities to attend flag-raising ceremonies the place they had been threatened with detention and dire penalties in the event that they did not register their youngsters. Associated Press reported that the Chinese authorities issued notices to reward individuals who reported unlawful childbirth. Following flag-raising ceremonies, ladies had been escorted to particular rooms fitted with ultrasound scanners to detect being pregnant or take gynaecology exams.
“The intention may not be to fully eliminate the Uyghur population, but it will sharply diminish their vitality, making them easier to assimilate,” knowledgeable Darren Byler, an skilled from the University of Colorado. As for Joanne Smith Finley who works at Newcastle University, the draconian measures undertaken by the Chinese authorities quantity to a ‘slow, painful and creeping genocide’.
Pakistan’s steady reticence on acknowledging human rights abuses of Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang
While Pakistan payments itself because the chief of the Islamic ummah, it has been dismissive, and on events questioned the authenticity of stories of human rights violations of the Uyghur Muslim minority within the Chinese province of Xinjiang. China stays the largest benefactor to Islamabad, which is teetering on the sting of a monetary collapse amidst a foundering financial system. As a consequence, the financial and financial advantages of aligning with China has induced Pakistan to show a blind eye to Beijing’s repressive measures towards the Uyghur minorities.
In June 2021, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was shocked when he was requested about his nation’s conspicuous silence on the plight of Uyghurs. Speaking  to Jonathan Swan, Khan stated, “What… our conversations have been with the Chinese, this is not the case, according to them.” On being advised that the proof was overwhelming, Khan stated, “Whatever issues we have with the Chinese, we speak behind closed doors. China has been one of the greatest friends to us in our most difficult times.”
“When we were really struggling, our economy was struggling, China came to our rescue. So, we respect the way they are…And whatever issues we have, we speak behind closed doors. How come this is such a big issue in the Western world?” the Pakistani Prime Minister requested. He then shrewdly tried to deviate the problem from Uyghur Muslims to Kashmiri Muslims and claimed that it was hypocritical that ‘Kashmir’ shouldn’t be a difficulty for the world.
However, this isn’t the primary time that Khan was in poor health comfy in defending his nation’s hypocritical silence on the abject situation of Uyghur Muslims in China. Back in September 2021, feigned ignorance when requested about Pakistan’s uncharacteristic silence on the Uyghur difficulty. Khan had then tried to dodge the query saying China is Pakistan’s “best friend” and points like these usually are not mentioned in public between the 2 international locations.