As he completed his round of talks in his diplomatic Mecca, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has promised his hosts help in checking the Xinjiang militants, who China says are drawing sustenance from the epicentre of terrorism in North Waziristan.
The promise per se exposes the chinks in the Sino-Pak friendship, which is often described as an all-weather relationship. Of late both are describing themselves as Iron Friends, probably borrowing from the Biblical adage that says iron sharpens iron. Thus far the friendship is more or less one-sided with Beijing lending its helping hand whether it is nuclear energy or financial crunch. In return, Pakistan has only offered what it has – market to let China meet all local needs from blades to medicines and phones. Today the Pakistan market is flooded by Chinese goods, most of them inferior in quality but cheap in terms of price. And China faces no completion worth the name because not many investors are willing to put their cents on Karachi stock exchange.
This quick recap of the state of Sino-Pak relations is to buttress the point that Islamabad should not cause concerns for China in its Uyghur Muslim region of Xinxiang; but it has been doing just that. Like the Americans, the Chinese are also coming to grips with the Pakistani perfidy but are unable to put their act together because of the perceived advantage Islamabad offers in Kabul. That such an advantage is a myth is a lesson the Americans have learnt the hard way and therefore are persisting with their drone strategy.
East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is generally blamed for the attacks in Xinjiang. Along with other militant groups of foreign origin, ETIM is holed up in North Waziristan and is said to enjoy the patronage of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda amongst other militant groups. Some leaders of Uyghur Muslims and radical elements amongst them are based in the West, particularly the United States, aggravating friction between Washington and Beijing.
When he met, Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Nov 8, Prime Minister Sharif told him that his country would “continue to resolutely fight the East Turkestan Islamic Movement terrorist forces.” He also promised greater security cover to Chinese companies and workers besides increased coordination with China on Afghanistan, going by the version put out by the Chinese foreign ministry.
Like the Americans, the Chinese also while extracting the promise of being a good boy, have been going about on their own to ensure the security of their men and materials in Pakistan. There are reports in the local media that the Chinese have been directly dealing with elements like kidnappers since their men, working in remote and inaccessible areas, are regularly falling a prey to the anti-social elements.
The highlight of the Sharif’s visit is not this good will gesture to Beijing. It is signing of 19 agreements and MOUs covering diverse fields particularly energy sector. The power projects include 870 MW Sukhi Kinari hydropower project, 1320 MW Sahiwal power project, 100 MW Jhimpir wind power project.
-YAMAARAR
