Uighur women clashing with Chinese police during a protest

Pakistan and other Islamic nations are among the 50 members of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that endorsed China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims in the Xinjiang region.

In a letter to the President of the UNHRC, the 50 signatory members commended China for its “remarkable achievements in the field of human rights”. Besides, the countries have also appreciated China’s “contributions” to the international human rights cause.

“We, the co-signatories to this letter, reiterate that the work of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) should be conducted in an objective, transparent, non-selective, constructive, non-confrontational and non-politicised manner,” said the letter.

While defending China on its persecution of ethnic groups, especially Uighur Muslims, in its Xinjiang province, the letter stated that terrorism, separatism and religious extremism has caused enormous damage to people of the region.

“Faced with the grave challenge of terrorism and extremism, China has undertaken a series of counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation measures in Xinjiang, including setting up vocational education and training centres,” it said.

The letter also called for the other countries to refrain from employing “unfounded” charges against China based on unconfirmed information.