Chinese and Pakistan border troops have for the first time launched joint patrolling of the border connecting Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) with Xinjiang Province amid reports that over 100 Uighurs have fled the restive region to join the Islamic State (IS).

Chinese state media reported about the joint patrol even as President Xi Jinping asked the Chinese Muslims to practice their religion “as part of Chinese society and direction”. The People’s Daily Online published a dozen photos, showing teams of armed troops from both sides conducting foot patrols in a number of areas.

First joint exercise

This is the first time China-Pakistan began joint patrols in recent years though Chinese troops have been conducting patrols in the area since 2014.

Though there was no write-up to provide details of the joint patrolling and what prompted both the countries to launch it, it coincided with reports of over 100 Uighur Muslims sneaking out of Xinjiang to join the IS.

U.S. think-tank New America Foundation had said on Wednesday that tough religious restrictions on Muslims in the region may have driven 114 Uighurs to join the IS but found that the recruits had no prior experience with jihad, raising questions about China’s official narrative of radicalisation in Xinjiang by the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

The New America Foundation in its report had said bans and controls on Muslim practices like fasting during Ramzan has led many to join the IS. The separatist militant group ETIM in the past is reported to have training bases in Pakistan’s tribal areas and subsequently, Pakistani military, under pressure from China, carried out massive air and ground operations to clear the Uighur militants’ bases.

Currently, work is under way for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is to connect both countries through highways, rail, optic-cable network and pipelines. Once the $46 billion project is complete, Xinjiang will get linked to Pakistan’s Gwadar port. — PTI