To placate China, Zardari celebrates Eid in Xinjiang
BEIJING: Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardaricelebrated Eid at Urumqi in China's Muslimmajority Xinjiang province as part of Islamabad's efforts to placate Beijing that had accused its "all-weather friend" of fomenting unrest in the region.
Hours later, Chinese media said attacks by suspected Uighur militants in Xinjiang have been thwarted.
Zardari visited a mosque in Urumqi along with his son Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and daughter Asifa Bhutto Zardari. The president's delegation also included five ministers , Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Syed Mehdi Shah and PoK prime minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed.
Pakistan recently accorded provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan that was a part of pre-1947 Jammu & Kashmir.
"Zardari is trying to reassure China that he really wants to curb the cross-border flow of terrorism," Jawaharlal Nehru University Chinese studies professor Srikanth Kondapalli. He said China has shown that it recognizes J&K's disputed part under Pakistan as Islambad's territory while it would not recognize the Indian part by giving visa to the PoK leader. This is for the first time Beijing has allowed PoK PM to visit China.
Zardari's visit is seen as a bid to restore Islamabad's image among local Muslims after Xinjiang government blamed Pakistan as the source of arms and training for separatists . Pakistan has since been trying to reassure China that reports about ISI-trained Uighur militants are untrue.
The Associated Press of Pakistan confirmed Majeed and Mehdi were part of the delegation.
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timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/To-placate-China-Zardari-celebrates-Eid-in-Xinjiang/articleshow/9817893.cms
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