Giving a clean chit to China, PM Khan said Pakistan's ambassador to China had visited the region and found that "this is actually not true on the ground"

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday (January 29) talked about the human rights violations in China's Xinjiang region against the Uyghur Muslims.

Giving a clean chit to China, he called West's reaction "double standards" as he tried to play up the same old Kashmir narrative.

During an interview with Chinese journalists in the nation's capital Islamabad, Khan as quoted by Pakistan media outlet DAWN said that "what we find very difficult to swallow in Pakistan" is that there's talk about Uyghur, but not about Kashmir.

Amid criticism by human rights organisations and Western countries over reported human rights abuses and accusations against China of mass detention, torture, forced labour and genocide in Xinjiang, Pakistan PM has dismissed all the reports.

PM Khan said Pakistan's ambassador to China had visited the region and found that "this is actually not true on the ground."

In a previous interview in July 2021, Khan had said Pakistan accepted Beijing's version regarding the treatment of Uyghurs due to "our extreme proximity and relationship".

Important to note that the United States announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 Games.

After the US, other countries like Australia, the UK and Canada also confirmed that they will not send government officials to the Games.

The statements by PM Khan were made ahead of his scheduled visit to China to attend the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Khan tried to reignite the Kashmir issue as he mentioned the "selective silence" of the Western countries on the Jammu and Kashmir issues in connection with international law.

However, India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and shall forever" remain an integral part of the country. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.

From time to time, India has emphasised that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

India has said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.