According to Chanakya, ''an enemy's enemy is a friend.'' This quote seems relevant in the context of the relations between Pakistan and China.

In the last few years, these two countries have come together as iron brothers or ''all-weather friends'' as described by former Pakistan President Nawaz Sharif.

But critics have often expressed skepticism and raised their doubts on them really being allies.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-pakistan-hits-rough-patch-with-china-taliban-421124/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The limits of an informal alliance

Pakistan was amongst the first countries to recognise the People's Republic of China (PRC) led by the Communist Party.

The country's military dictator Yahya Khan had played a significant role in establishing formal diplomatic relations between China and the USA.

Since then both China and Pakistan have been supporting each other on sensitive geopolitical matters such as the Kashmir issue and blocking UNSC resolution on Pak-based international terrorists.&nbsp;

Similarly, Pakistan backs China's territorial claims on Tibet and Taiwan.

Pakistan provides China a key link to all Islamic countries. However, it ignores the plight of the Muslims in China's Xinjiang region.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-authorities-seize-containers-carrying-radioactive-material-being-transferred-from-pak-to-china-430704">Also read |&nbsp;Indian authorities seize containers carrying radioactive material being transferred from Pak to China</a>

Pakistan fends off anti-China sentiment in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, a bloc comprising of 57 member countries.

In return, China offers great economic help and defence facilities to the country.

Increasing its share from 13 per cent to 63 per cent, China has now replaced the US as the biggest arms supplier of Pakistan.

Pakistan's missile programme is closely aligned with China. Its entire nuclear project is also dependent on China.

Lahore's relations with Washington went to an all-time low when the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden was found in Abbottabad.

As a result, the US halted all aids to Pakistan making it turn to China for funding.

Despite closeness between China and Pakistan, they have never signed a formal alliance treaty.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/great-game-ii-india-pakistan-china-gas-pipeline-powered-by-russia-cannot-be-discounted-196820">Also read |&nbsp;Great game-II: India-Pakistan-China gas pipeline powered by Russia cannot be discounted</a>

China's reluctance in signing a binding commitment with Pakistan shows the country's trust deficit towards it. Beijing still does not consider it a reliable ally.

The Uighur Muslims that escape from China to Pakistan, are viewed as the supporters of East Turkistan independence movements.

The biggest drawback of an informal alliance system is that one cannot force the other to support the other openly during wartime.&nbsp;

The contradictions of this anti-India alliance

Both China and Pakistan have a cynical attitude, that is, they are purely guided by self-interest and they are distrustful of sincerity or integrity.

China has cultivated Pakistan as a client through its military assistance, generous loan aids, and diplomatic protection to counter the influence of the US.

China considers Pakistan as a bulwark against India that is developing rapidly. It wants to contain India through Pakistan.

Both India and China have been involved in territorial disputes since they fought a war against each other in 1962.

Pakistan wants to use a belligerent China against the ''persistent threat'' that it faces from India.

Even though an ''all-weather friendship has been touted much by China, it has not played a direct role in any of Indo-Pak wars.

China had refused the request of Richard Nixon to deploy its army along India's eastern border during the India-Pakistan war in 1971.

Pakistan's relationship with China is bound to crumble due to the difference in their geopolitical priorities.

China is an atheist country unlike Pakistan that is deeply religious. Radical Islamists of Pakistan consider the US, India, and other western powers as the enemy of Islam and expects atheist China to support religious extremism.

Hollow claims of China Pakistan Economic Corridor

In 2013, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was started after a deal between Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

China expressed its desire to spend $46 billion under the CPEC for energy and infrastructure projects in 2014.

It announced a new loan deal of $51 billion for CPEC in 2016.

Pakistan's civilian and military have boasted about the CPEC project. They believe it will solve problems of chronic energy shortage and aging road and rail infrastructure along with speeding up economic recovery.

But in reality, all these bold claims are hollow as the entire region in which CPEC is spread is prone to violence and is extremely volatile.

Perilous 'Karakoram mountains and Gilgit-Balochistan geology along with the unpredictable weather make CPEC vulnerable.

In the southern region, CPEC passes through Pakistan's insurgency-driven province, Balochistan, and is linked with Gwadar port.

In the Gilgit-Balochistan region, frequent protests are commons because of the environmental damage and demographic costs of the CPEC project.

 
&nbsp;

According to Chanakya, ''an enemy's enemy is a friend.'' This quote seems relevant in the context of the relations between Pakistan and China. In the last few years, these two countries have come together as iron brothers or ''all-weather friends'' as described by former Pakistan President Nawaz Sharif.

According to Chanakya, ''an enemy's enemy is a friend.'' This quote seems relevant in the context of the relations between Pakistan and China. In the last few years, these two countries have come together as iron brothers or ''all-weather friends'' as described by former Pakistan President Nawaz Sharif. But critics have often expressed skepticism and raised their doubts on them really being allies. The limits of an informal alliance Pakistan was amongst the first countries to recognise the People's Republic of China (PRC) led by the Communist Party. The country's military dictator Yahya Khan had played a significant role in establishing formal diplomatic relations between China and the USA. Since then both China and Pakistan have been supporting each other on sensitive geopolitical matters such as the Kashmir issue and blocking UNSC resolution on Pak-based international terrorists. Similarly, Pakistan backs China's territorial claims on Tibet and Taiwan. Pakistan provides China a key link to all Islamic countries. However, it ignores the plight of the Muslims in China's Xinjiang region. Also read | Indian authorities seize containers carrying radioactive material being transferred from Pak to China Pakistan fends off anti-China sentiment in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, a bloc comprising of 57 member countries. In return, China offers great economic help and defence facilities to the country. Increasing its share from 13 per cent to 63 per cent, China has now replaced the US as the biggest arms supplier of Pakistan. Pakistan's missile programme is closely aligned with China. Its entire nuclear project is also dependent on China. Lahore's relations with Washington went to an all-time low when the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden was found in Abbottabad. As a result, the US halted all aids to Pakistan making it turn to China for funding. Despite closeness between China and Pakistan, they have never signed a formal alliance treaty. Also read | Great game-II: India-Pakistan-China gas pipeline powered by Russia cannot be discounted China's reluctance in signing a binding commitment with Pakistan shows the country's trust deficit towards it. Beijing still does not consider it a reliable ally. The Uighur Muslims that escape from China to Pakistan, are viewed as the supporters of East Turkistan independence movements. The biggest drawback of an informal alliance system is that one cannot force the other to support the other openly during wartime. The contradictions of this anti-India alliance Both China and Pakistan have a cynical attitude, that is, they are purely guided by self-interest and they are distrustful of sincerity or integrity. China has cultivated Pakistan as a client through its military assistance, generous loan aids, and diplomatic protection to counter the influence of the US. China considers Pakistan as a bulwark against India that is developing rapidly. It wants to contain India through Pakistan. Both India and China have been involved in territorial disputes since they fought a war against each other in 1962. Pakistan wants to use a belligerent China against the ''persistent threat'' that it faces from India. Even though an ''all-weather friendship has been touted much by China, it has not played a direct role in any of Indo-Pak wars. China had refused the request of Richard Nixon to deploy its army along India's eastern border during the India-Pakistan war in 1971. Pakistan's relationship with China is bound to crumble due to the difference in their geopolitical priorities. China is an atheist country unlike Pakistan that is deeply religious. Radical Islamists of Pakistan consider the US, India, and other western powers as the enemy of Islam and expects atheist China to support religious extremism. Hollow claims of China Pakistan Economic Corridor In 2013, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was started after a deal between Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. China expressed its desire to spend $46 billion under the CPEC for energy and infrastructure projects in 2014. It announced a new loan deal of $51 billion for CPEC in 2016. Pakistan's civilian and military have boasted about the CPEC project. They believe it will solve problems of chronic energy shortage and aging road and rail infrastructure along with speeding up economic recovery. But in reality, all these bold claims are hollow as the entire region in which CPEC is spread is prone to violence and is extremely volatile. Perilous 'Karakoram mountains and Gilgit-Balochistan geology along with the unpredictable weather make CPEC vulnerable. In the southern region, CPEC passes through Pakistan's insurgency-driven province, Balochistan, and is linked with Gwadar port. In the Gilgit-Balochistan region, frequent protests are commons because of the environmental damage and demographic costs of the CPEC project.

Why China and Pakistan are not true allies?

In the hope to have China as an "all-weather ally", Pakistan has continued to support Beijing amid the COVID-19 pandemic and even looked the other way round in the case of ongoing human rights violation against the Muslims in Xinjiang region.

According to an article titled `Why China Has the Power to Dictate Pakistan`s Future` by William Shriver published in The National Interest, Prime Minister Imran Khan has balanced his criticism of China because Pakistan receives billions of dollars of investment through the Belt and Road Initiative.

To keep the China-Pakistan relations flourishing, Khan even downplayed the early stages of the coronavirus in both China and Pakistan.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/human-rights-group-hails-acquittal-of-pakistani-christian-on-death-row-for-blasphemy-333523">Also read:&nbsp;Human rights group hails acquittal of Pakistani Christian on death row for blasphemy</a>

In February, Khan had said in a tweet, "Pakistan stands with the people &amp; govt of China in their difficult &amp; trying time and it will always stand by them".

After a month, he said in a statement, "In a few days everything would be normal... This virus is a kind of flu. It spreads quickly.

"Shriver has highlighted Khan showing willingness to push aside a deadly virus to preserve the China-Pakistan relationship and appease Chinese officials.

Meanwhile, Khan also preferred to turn a blind eye towards the rampant human rights violations on Muslims in the Xinjiang region by the Chinese government.

The author said that in the past year, Khan has looked the other way on the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang, shown public support for China`s controversial Hong Kong security bill, and has now pandered to China during the coronavirus pandemic as China invests some USD 60 billion into Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/paks-federal-cabinet-divided-over-fir-against-nawaz-sharif-333123">Also read:&nbsp;Pak's Federal cabinet divided over FIR against Nawaz Sharif</a>

As Pakistan continues to raise the so-called human rights violations by the Indian government, William Shriver questioned Asad Majeed Khan, Pakistan Ambassador to the US, on why Pakistan--a long time haven for pan-Islamic causes--is ignoring the over one million Uyghur Muslims in concentration camps in Xinjiang?

In reply Ambassador Khan said, "We [Pakistan] normally don`t comment on the internal situations of other countries, of our friends in particular. To equate our raising of the human rights violations in Kashmir in India is very different because China has never raised those issues with us [Pakistan] . . . We do not talk about these things publically given the state of relationship that we have with China."

While Pakistan continues to defend China in the hope of gaining an "all-weather ally", the author of this article poses a question -- will Beijing will rush to Islamabad`s aid during India-Pakistan`s skirmish like the US, who gave outright support to India during recent India-China standoff.

The author has opined that if China takes a sudden decision to not help Pakistan in time of need then "Pakistan would be left out in the rain".However, it stands true to the fact that China`s growing relationship with Pakistan is one of the most important developments in the South Asian foreign policy.&nbsp;

In the hope to have China as an "all-weather ally", Pakistan has continued to support Beijing amid the COVID-19 pandemic and even looked the other way round in the case of ongoing human rights violation against the Muslims in Xinjiang region.

In the hope to have China as an "all-weather ally", Pakistan has continued to support Beijing amid the COVID-19 pandemic and even looked the other way round in the case of ongoing human rights violation against the Muslims in Xinjiang region. According to an article titled `Why China Has the Power to Dictate Pakistan`s Future` by William Shriver published in The National Interest, Prime Minister Imran Khan has balanced his criticism of China because Pakistan receives billions of dollars of investment through the Belt and Road Initiative. To keep the China-Pakistan relations flourishing, Khan even downplayed the early stages of the coronavirus in both China and Pakistan. Also read: Human rights group hails acquittal of Pakistani Christian on death row for blasphemy In February, Khan had said in a tweet, "Pakistan stands with the people & govt of China in their difficult & trying time and it will always stand by them". After a month, he said in a statement, "In a few days everything would be normal... This virus is a kind of flu. It spreads quickly. "Shriver has highlighted Khan showing willingness to push aside a deadly virus to preserve the China-Pakistan relationship and appease Chinese officials. Meanwhile, Khan also preferred to turn a blind eye towards the rampant human rights violations on Muslims in the Xinjiang region by the Chinese government. The author said that in the past year, Khan has looked the other way on the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang, shown public support for China`s controversial Hong Kong security bill, and has now pandered to China during the coronavirus pandemic as China invests some USD 60 billion into Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Also read: Pak's Federal cabinet divided over FIR against Nawaz Sharif As Pakistan continues to raise the so-called human rights violations by the Indian government, William Shriver questioned Asad Majeed Khan, Pakistan Ambassador to the US, on why Pakistan--a long time haven for pan-Islamic causes--is ignoring the over one million Uyghur Muslims in concentration camps in Xinjiang? In reply Ambassador Khan said, "We [Pakistan] normally don`t comment on the internal situations of other countries, of our friends in particular. To equate our raising of the human rights violations in Kashmir in India is very different because China has never raised those issues with us [Pakistan] . . . We do not talk about these things publically given the state of relationship that we have with China." While Pakistan continues to defend China in the hope of gaining an "all-weather ally", the author of this article poses a question -- will Beijing will rush to Islamabad`s aid during India-Pakistan`s skirmish like the US, who gave outright support to India during recent India-China standoff. The author has opined that if China takes a sudden decision to not help Pakistan in time of need then "Pakistan would be left out in the rain".However, it stands true to the fact that China`s growing relationship with Pakistan is one of the most important developments in the South Asian foreign policy.

Pakistan PM hoping for an 'all-weather friend', chooses to ignore China's wrongdoings

China calls it the largest virus bank in Asia, America calls it the birthplace of the Wuhan virus - the same lab is back in the headlines for a secret deal between China and Pakistan.

An agreement to build bio-warfare capabilities has reportedly been struck between China and Pakistan with the Wuhan Institute of Virology at the centre of these claims.

Australian journalist Anthony Klan, editor of a news website Klaxon reported the story. According to Klan, a three-year agreement has been signed between Pakistan’s defence, science and technology organisation and China's Wuhan Institute of Virology.

It is supposed to be just a research collaboration - an alliance to research “emerging infectious diseases”. However, Anthony Klan claims the alliance has a more sinister agenda.

The program is being entirely funded by China which is no surprise after all Pakistan is largely funded by China. The deal allows China to conduct tests on biological agents outside its borders - in Pakistan.

According to the report, it is a covert deal hidden from the world. There's a secret facility in Pakistan which runs several research projects related to deadly pathogens. Pathogens like anthrax which has been used as a bioweapon.

Earlier on Friday, WION spoke to Anthony Klan, he said that New Delhi must pay attention to the threat as it&nbsp;poses a direct security challenge to India. According to the report, Pakistan has kept civilians out of the project.

Klan said the intention of the project is "opposite of noble" as creating a covert research facility allows China to conduct dangerous experiments out of public view, so, when the facility is on foreign land that too in a Chinese colony like Pakistan, Beijing can evade responsibility when something goes wrong.

Klan said they have learned their lesson from the Wuhan virus.&nbsp;

The pathogens are being tested in labs that have a lower safety level. In science biosafety level four is considered as the highest level of biosafety precautions. Fatal diseases that can easily transmit should only be tested in biosafety four facilities.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology has biosafety level four and yet, there were questions about its safety and the standards it followed. Reports say Pakistan is carrying out the research in labs that are not equipped to handle dangerous viruses. China is building another virus bank in Pakistan but without the necessary precautions.

One way or the other, it's a disaster waiting to happen, if they make a bioweapon, it's a huge threat, if a safety breach takes place, it's a threat to the world.

China calls it the largest virus bank in Asia, America calls it the birthplace of the Wuhan virus - the same lab is back in the headlines for a secret deal between China and Pakistan.

China calls it the largest virus bank in Asia, America calls it the birthplace of the Wuhan virus - the same lab is back in the headlines for a secret deal between China and Pakistan. An agreement to build bio-warfare capabilities has reportedly been struck between China and Pakistan with the Wuhan Institute of Virology at the centre of these claims. Australian journalist Anthony Klan, editor of a news website Klaxon reported the story. According to Klan, a three-year agreement has been signed between Pakistan’s defence, science and technology organisation and China's Wuhan Institute of Virology. It is supposed to be just a research collaboration - an alliance to research “emerging infectious diseases”. However, Anthony Klan claims the alliance has a more sinister agenda. The program is being entirely funded by China which is no surprise after all Pakistan is largely funded by China. The deal allows China to conduct tests on biological agents outside its borders - in Pakistan. According to the report, it is a covert deal hidden from the world. There's a secret facility in Pakistan which runs several research projects related to deadly pathogens. Pathogens like anthrax which has been used as a bioweapon. Earlier on Friday, WION spoke to Anthony Klan, he said that New Delhi must pay attention to the threat as it poses a direct security challenge to India. According to the report, Pakistan has kept civilians out of the project. Klan said the intention of the project is "opposite of noble" as creating a covert research facility allows China to conduct dangerous experiments out of public view, so, when the facility is on foreign land that too in a Chinese colony like Pakistan, Beijing can evade responsibility when something goes wrong. Klan said they have learned their lesson from the Wuhan virus. The pathogens are being tested in labs that have a lower safety level. In science biosafety level four is considered as the highest level of biosafety precautions. Fatal diseases that can easily transmit should only be tested in biosafety four facilities. The Wuhan Institute of Virology has biosafety level four and yet, there were questions about its safety and the standards it followed. Reports say Pakistan is carrying out the research in labs that are not equipped to handle dangerous viruses. China is building another virus bank in Pakistan but without the necessary precautions. One way or the other, it's a disaster waiting to happen, if they make a bioweapon, it's a huge threat, if a safety breach takes place, it's a threat to the world.

After virus upheaval, China strikes deal with Pakistan to make bioweapons

However much we feel angry over China’s fresh refusal to back India’s demand to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN, which would paralyse his terror network, there is practically nothing that we could do, because we have buckled under Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail, facilitated by China that gave Pakistan nuclear know-how to counter and stunt India. When it came to Pakistani transfers of Western technology to China’s nuclear programme, the United States was ambivalent — and some in the US government were even tacitly supportive.

Now, when we see Azhar on the rampage, causing incalculable harm to India’s strategic interests, it is worth our while to recall that ever since Pakistan acquired nuclear weapons, they exploited it to the hilt, mounting attack after attack on us with little wherewithal for India either to punish Pakistan or change its behaviour. While Pakistan got away by inflicting a 26/11 on India or mounting an attack on Indian Parliament, or later at Uri, Pathankot and Pulwama — bleeding us to “thousand cuts” — we have thus far remained content with a few symbolic hangings and strikes and unsubstantial, effete cries for revenge.&nbsp;

We took little notice of the implications of Pakistan’s growing nuclearisation for managing the situation in Kashmir since 1991, a fact highlighted by the Subrahmanyam Committee probing the Kargil debacle. Perhaps the fuller implications of Bhutto’s famous pronouncement in 1965, that “If … India builds the atom bomb…. Pakistan will eat grass or leaves, even go hungry, but we will get one of our own” are on display now.

If we are particularly appalled by the carnage at Pulwama unleashed by JeM, and particularly miffed over China’s dogged intransigence, it is important to understand the India-centric foundations for the China-Pakistan relationship seen in the prism of the three crucial wars. The Sino-Indian war of 1962 made the value of strategic cooperation fully apparent to the Chinese and the Pakistanis and brought a rapid resolution to their own outstanding border dispute.

&nbsp;The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 in which there was a real prospect of Chinese intervention on Pakistan’s behalf formed the basis of China’s status as the “all-weather friend” in the Pakistani public imagination. The 1971 Indo-Pakistani war — in which though Beijing failed to come to Islamabad’s aid — set in motion security cooperation of an even more significant nature. After Pakistan’s devastating defeat, China helped the country develop a set of military capabilities to ensure that it would never face the same fate again. Central to this was China’s backing for Pakistan’s nuclear ambition which, as it stands today, has given Pakistan the near-sovereign right to inflict substantial damage on India without the prospect of incurring any substantial retaliation. In reality, China’s greatest contribution to Pakistan’s security is something more important than that: the ultimate means of self-defence. That’s the reason why India cannot tinker with Pakistan despite grave provocations or can do little even as Pakistan continues to harbour terrorists like Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

Perhaps that’s also the reason why India’s best bet is not militarism but diplomacy. Rightly, it appealed to all members of the international community to “support the proposal to list terrorists, including JeM chief Masood Azhar, as a designated terrorist and to ban terrorist organisations operating from territories controlled by Pakistan.” Though nations like the US, the UK, Russia, and France have expressed solidarity with India in combating terrorism, China kept its stand on Masood Azhar unchanged perhaps because supporting Azhar could be a handle to needle India and appease Pakistan to extract strategic benefit from it. &nbsp;

Pakistan’s autonomy and even survival as a state have been preserved by its nuclear capacity. But, its dependence on China to achieve this comes with a threat of spillover terrorism to the world community, and this threat arising out of Sino-Pak entente cordiale has to be appreciated by the UNSC. China is a looming threat to the security architecture of Southeast Asia with a verifiable record to trigger irresponsible proliferation if one is mindful of an unchecked fissile material trade as one of the consequences of the break-up of the Soviet Union. It is only a matter of time before terrorists get a nuclear weapon. And the worse fallout of this adventurism is that akin to India having to contend with Kashmir, China has Xinjiang, and Pakistan Baluchistan to deal with, where a ‘nuclear deterrent relationship’ cannot be established with non-state actors, as targeting them with even a small nuclear weapon would be impossible without incurring unacceptable collateral damage and provoking global outrage. We all know what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

(This article was originally published on the DNA. Read the original article)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

However much we feel angry over China’s fresh refusal to back India’s demand to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN, which would paralyse his terror network, there is practically nothing that we could do, because we have buckled under Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail, facilitated by China that gave Pakistan nuclear know-how to counter and stunt India.

However much we feel angry over China’s fresh refusal to back India’s demand to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN, which would paralyse his terror network, there is practically nothing that we could do, because we have buckled under Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail, facilitated by China that gave Pakistan nuclear know-how to counter and stunt India. When it came to Pakistani transfers of Western technology to China’s nuclear programme, the United States was ambivalent — and some in the US government were even tacitly supportive. Now, when we see Azhar on the rampage, causing incalculable harm to India’s strategic interests, it is worth our while to recall that ever since Pakistan acquired nuclear weapons, they exploited it to the hilt, mounting attack after attack on us with little wherewithal for India either to punish Pakistan or change its behaviour. While Pakistan got away by inflicting a 26/11 on India or mounting an attack on Indian Parliament, or later at Uri, Pathankot and Pulwama — bleeding us to “thousand cuts” — we have thus far remained content with a few symbolic hangings and strikes and unsubstantial, effete cries for revenge. We took little notice of the implications of Pakistan’s growing nuclearisation for managing the situation in Kashmir since 1991, a fact highlighted by the Subrahmanyam Committee probing the Kargil debacle. Perhaps the fuller implications of Bhutto’s famous pronouncement in 1965, that “If … India builds the atom bomb…. Pakistan will eat grass or leaves, even go hungry, but we will get one of our own” are on display now. If we are particularly appalled by the carnage at Pulwama unleashed by JeM, and particularly miffed over China’s dogged intransigence, it is important to understand the India-centric foundations for the China-Pakistan relationship seen in the prism of the three crucial wars. The Sino-Indian war of 1962 made the value of strategic cooperation fully apparent to the Chinese and the Pakistanis and brought a rapid resolution to their own outstanding border dispute. The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 in which there was a real prospect of Chinese intervention on Pakistan’s behalf formed the basis of China’s status as the “all-weather friend” in the Pakistani public imagination. The 1971 Indo-Pakistani war — in which though Beijing failed to come to Islamabad’s aid — set in motion security cooperation of an even more significant nature. After Pakistan’s devastating defeat, China helped the country develop a set of military capabilities to ensure that it would never face the same fate again. Central to this was China’s backing for Pakistan’s nuclear ambition which, as it stands today, has given Pakistan the near-sovereign right to inflict substantial damage on India without the prospect of incurring any substantial retaliation. In reality, China’s greatest contribution to Pakistan’s security is something more important than that: the ultimate means of self-defence. That’s the reason why India cannot tinker with Pakistan despite grave provocations or can do little even as Pakistan continues to harbour terrorists like Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. Perhaps that’s also the reason why India’s best bet is not militarism but diplomacy. Rightly, it appealed to all members of the international community to “support the proposal to list terrorists, including JeM chief Masood Azhar, as a designated terrorist and to ban terrorist organisations operating from territories controlled by Pakistan.” Though nations like the US, the UK, Russia, and France have expressed solidarity with India in combating terrorism, China kept its stand on Masood Azhar unchanged perhaps because supporting Azhar could be a handle to needle India and appease Pakistan to extract strategic benefit from it. Pakistan’s autonomy and even survival as a state have been preserved by its nuclear capacity. But, its dependence on China to achieve this comes with a threat of spillover terrorism to the world community, and this threat arising out of Sino-Pak entente cordiale has to be appreciated by the UNSC. China is a looming threat to the security architecture of Southeast Asia with a verifiable record to trigger irresponsible proliferation if one is mindful of an unchecked fissile material trade as one of the consequences of the break-up of the Soviet Union. It is only a matter of time before terrorists get a nuclear weapon. And the worse fallout of this adventurism is that akin to India having to contend with Kashmir, China has Xinjiang, and Pakistan Baluchistan to deal with, where a ‘nuclear deterrent relationship’ cannot be established with non-state actors, as targeting them with even a small nuclear weapon would be impossible without incurring unacceptable collateral damage and provoking global outrage. We all know what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. (This article was originally published on the DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

The China-Pakistan entente poses a grave threat to the world

Recent years have seen a remarkable era of Pakistan-China friendship. Apparently, everyone in Pakistan is singing songs that China is their real friend and it will be purely due to China that their country will rise from the ashes like a miracle.

&nbsp;

Over the last so many decades, Pakistani rulers have been emphasising on their Islamic orientation, criticising the instances wherever they felt that Muslims are facing discriminations. For instance, Pakistan&#39;s political establishment went berserk over atrocities committed against Palestinian, Rohingya Muslims, during Balkan Conflict at Kosovo, the Chechnya debacle among. Criticism flowed fast and steady.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

But a serious question arises as to how much is the People&#39;s Republic of China, the mentor and &#39;best friend&#39; of Pakistan, concerned and sensitive about the second largest and the fastest growing religion in the world?

&nbsp;

To find the answer, you must look towards the north-west edge of Pakistan and Indian province of Kashmir. In the map, you will find Xinxiang province of the People&rsquo;s Republic of China where an ethnic Islamic minority called Uighurs have been fighting for over six decades for their existence. They have been receiving a second-class treatment from rulers of the Peoples Republic of China; their religious and cultural autonomy is under serious threat.

&nbsp;

Uighurs are a minority of Turkish-speaking people of about 10 million population. While Pakistan considers itself as the true defender of Islam, China has banned Islamic activities in its Xinxiang province for Uighur Muslims. Religious education is totally banned for Uighurs and is punishable by law. The religious prohibition by China includes control over religious activities, practitioners, schools, cultural institutions, publication of Islamic literature and even personal appearance and behaviour of Uighur Muslims. They cannot display any symbol of Islam, for example, beard or Islamic dresses.

&nbsp;

Not only this, all Imams of the mosques are supposed to vet themselves on a regular basis, attend self-criticism sessions where they are to criticise their own religion. They are forbidden to practice anything which can be termed as a symbol of slightest separatism as per the policy of China, and it is punishable by death. Last year the Imams were called for a gathering and made to dance on the tunes of China. The video is still available on social media.&nbsp;

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There are cases where people have been tortured and punished just because they were in possession of a version of Holy Koran. There have been times where the peaceful activists have been arrested, tortured and executed even without any evidence. There are so many stories of atrocities of Uighurs in the area, however, due to media censorship in the country, they don&rsquo;t come out.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The mass genocide of Uighurs started in 1949 with the Chinese occupation of territory by General Wang Zhen. Things have not changed much since then. Only the Generals changed over the years, the genocide of innocent population continues.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Chinese influence in the area has risen very sharply. The Uighurs which used to dominate the region with over 90% population share in 1955 has now dropped to 43% because of a state-sponsored mass settlement of residents from the eastern part of China. Many of these settlers include retired soldiers from the Chinese military and seasonal workers employed in various industries in the region. China has already succeeded in changing the demographic pattern of the area.

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India&#39;s neighbour who is so concerned about Islam has always turned a blind eye to this matter. No one in Pakistan government ever speaks about the religious freedom of Uighurs in China. Their support for Islam falls through when it comes to Uighurs of China. If we compare the state of religious freedom across the world, China&#39;s track record would be the worst due to their treatment of Uighurs in Xinxiang.&nbsp;

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So, what is the reason for this behaviour of not only our nuclear-powered neighbour but also other Islamic countries? The reason lies in the belief of the West about the impressive growth and state-led development of China in last 30 years. In the current scenario, every country is dependent upon Chinese imports and wants to enter their multitrillion-dollar market so that they can also make money.&nbsp;

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The case of Pakistan is even worst. The economy of the country is going through a dangerous turbulence. Western countries, as well as IMF, have cut down on aid. The domestic production is on a decline and corruption among the top leaders of the country has become a common scene. The only support is Chinese investment which is aimed at making Pakistan its second territory. If Pakistan starts showing their genuine concern towards Uighur Muslims, it may lose multibillion-dollar projects of China. In the current wake of China establishing its industrial, economic and military establishments in Pakistan rapidly, the day is not far when it will be another territory of China. And in such case, another Xinxiang is in making now.&nbsp;

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(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

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Imams are forbidden to practice anything which can be termed as a symbol of slightest separatism as per the policy of China, and it is punishable by death

Recent years have seen a remarkable era of Pakistan-China friendship. Apparently, everyone in Pakistan is singing songs that China is their real friend and it will be purely due to China that their country will rise from the ashes like a miracle. Over the last so many decades, Pakistani rulers have been emphasising on their Islamic orientation, criticising the instances wherever they felt that Muslims are facing discriminations. For instance, Pakistan's political establishment went berserk over atrocities committed against Palestinian, Rohingya Muslims, during Balkan Conflict at Kosovo, the Chechnya debacle among. Criticism flowed fast and steady. But a serious question arises as to how much is the People's Republic of China, the mentor and 'best friend' of Pakistan, concerned and sensitive about the second largest and the fastest growing religion in the world? To find the answer, you must look towards the north-west edge of Pakistan and Indian province of Kashmir. In the map, you will find Xinxiang province of the People’s Republic of China where an ethnic Islamic minority called Uighurs have been fighting for over six decades for their existence. They have been receiving a second-class treatment from rulers of the Peoples Republic of China; their religious and cultural autonomy is under serious threat. Uighurs are a minority of Turkish-speaking people of about 10 million population. While Pakistan considers itself as the true defender of Islam, China has banned Islamic activities in its Xinxiang province for Uighur Muslims. Religious education is totally banned for Uighurs and is punishable by law. The religious prohibition by China includes control over religious activities, practitioners, schools, cultural institutions, publication of Islamic literature and even personal appearance and behaviour of Uighur Muslims. They cannot display any symbol of Islam, for example, beard or Islamic dresses. Not only this, all Imams of the mosques are supposed to vet themselves on a regular basis, attend self-criticism sessions where they are to criticise their own religion. They are forbidden to practice anything which can be termed as a symbol of slightest separatism as per the policy of China, and it is punishable by death. Last year the Imams were called for a gathering and made to dance on the tunes of China. The video is still available on social media. × There are cases where people have been tortured and punished just because they were in possession of a version of Holy Koran. There have been times where the peaceful activists have been arrested, tortured and executed even without any evidence. There are so many stories of atrocities of Uighurs in the area, however, due to media censorship in the country, they don’t come out. The mass genocide of Uighurs started in 1949 with the Chinese occupation of territory by General Wang Zhen. Things have not changed much since then. Only the Generals changed over the years, the genocide of innocent population continues. The Chinese influence in the area has risen very sharply. The Uighurs which used to dominate the region with over 90% population share in 1955 has now dropped to 43% because of a state-sponsored mass settlement of residents from the eastern part of China. Many of these settlers include retired soldiers from the Chinese military and seasonal workers employed in various industries in the region. China has already succeeded in changing the demographic pattern of the area. India's neighbour who is so concerned about Islam has always turned a blind eye to this matter. No one in Pakistan government ever speaks about the religious freedom of Uighurs in China. Their support for Islam falls through when it comes to Uighurs of China. If we compare the state of religious freedom across the world, China's track record would be the worst due to their treatment of Uighurs in Xinxiang. So, what is the reason for this behaviour of not only our nuclear-powered neighbour but also other Islamic countries? The reason lies in the belief of the West about the impressive growth and state-led development of China in last 30 years. In the current scenario, every country is dependent upon Chinese imports and wants to enter their multitrillion-dollar market so that they can also make money. The case of Pakistan is even worst. The economy of the country is going through a dangerous turbulence. Western countries, as well as IMF, have cut down on aid. The domestic production is on a decline and corruption among the top leaders of the country has become a common scene. The only support is Chinese investment which is aimed at making Pakistan its second territory. If Pakistan starts showing their genuine concern towards Uighur Muslims, it may lose multibillion-dollar projects of China. In the current wake of China establishing its industrial, economic and military establishments in Pakistan rapidly, the day is not far when it will be another territory of China. And in such case, another Xinxiang is in making now. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: China censors Islamic practices. Why Pakistan is silent