ISLAMABAD – Pakistan believes in the principle of non-interference in theinternal affairs of other countries as enshrined in the UN Charter, ForeignOffice said on Tuesday while responding to a UN report on human rights inXinjiang.
The report was circulated by the world body toward the end of the lastmonth.
China has long been accused of committing rights violations against UyghurMuslims in the northwestern Xinjiang region.
Several international media houses have reported in the past that theauthorities in Beijing had detained hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs in thelast couple of years on suspicion of religious extremism and sent them to“reeducation camps” to carry out its deradicalization programme.
The United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)issued a report on August 31 after visiting Xinjiang in May, calling theallegations of torture, forced medical treatment and adverse conditions ofdetention “credible.”
It also maintained at the end of the document that the Chinese dealingswith the Uyghur community in Xinjiang “may constitute international crimes,in particular crimes against humanity.”
Responding to media queries about the report, the foreign office said onTuesday it was its “consistent position that non-politicization,universality, objectivity, dialogue and constructive engagement should bethe main tools to promote universal respect for human rights.”
Read Top Stories
“As a responsible member of the United Nations with strong commitment tomultilateralism, Pakistan believes in the principles of the UN Charterincluding respect for political independence, sovereignty andnon-interference in internal affairs of states,” it added.
It also praised China for lifting over 700 million people out of poverty inthe last 35 years, saying the leadership in Beijing helped improve thelives of these people and made it possible for them to enjoy fundamentalhuman rights.
“Pakistan supports China’s efforts for socio-economic development, harmonyand peace and stability in Xinjiang,” the foreign office added.
The country’s official statement on the issue also appreciated Beijing’sconstructive engagement with the UN human rights system as well as thegeneral secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),adding the visits by the former high commissioner of human rights and OICdelegation to China were evidence of that.
“Pakistan reaffirms its abiding commitment to advance all human rightsuniversally in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter,” it added.
