Shooting of the Chinese

The POST, Sun, Jul,15, 2007.

Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema

Three Chinese national were recently shot dead and the fourth one was injured on Charsada Road near Peshawar on Sunday the 8^th July, 2007. The Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan condemned the killing and asked for a quick investigation. In a statement the Chinese Ambassador asked the government of Pakistan ‘to investigate, round up the culprits, properly handle the follow up issues and take effective measures to protect all the Chinese in Pakistan’. The killing of Chinese also invoked strong revulsion among most Pakistanis for number of reasons. While it is too early to draw any conclusion that why these Chinese were killed, the killing itself has given birth to many interpretations. 

Nobody likes the killing of a guest in general and if the guest happens to be from a friendly country then the shock waves not only rapidly spread but also the intensity of hurt-feelings open the floodgates of emotions. Indeed the undesired killing of the three guest workers invoked strong emotional reactions among many Pakistanis. This is not the first time that Chinese have been killed or kidnapped in Pakistan. At least five incidents involving Chinese killings or kidnapping can be easily mentioned here which include Gomal Dam, Gawadar, Hub Factory killings, kidnapping in Islamabad and the shooting on Charsada Road. 

Many questions have been raised and all of them deserve analysis. Why have the Chinese been targeted? What is the purpose of such killings? Who is the mastermind? Is there a foreign hand involved? In many ways all of these questions are linked with each other. Various interpretations have been put forward in an attempt to ascertain the objectives involved and the identity of real culprits. 

One interpretation that has been echoed in certain quarters revolves around the troubles in East Turkistan. The Chinese authorities are reported to have claimed that East Turkistan Islamic Movement is an armed secessionist movement with bases in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in the northwest China. Both the US and the UN have already listed this group as a terrorist organization in 2002. It is alleged that many members of this group are hiding in the tribal areas of Pakistan. It was reported that the Chinese authorities demanded the return of 22 Uighurs who are alleged to be using Pakistani tribal areas to hide. 

The Amnesty International (AI) has opposed the forcible return of such people on the ground that International Law stresses not to undertake forcible return or expel or extradite any person to a country where he/she risks torture or other ill treatment.  The AI stated that Uighurs, if forcibly returned, would run the risk of serious human rights violations, unfair trials, torture and execution. Therefore AI demanded from Pakistan not to forcibly return these people. The interpretation is that some of these illegal inhabitants of the tribal areas who are the members of XUAR attacked and killed the three Chinese and injured the fourth one. As they appeared to be easy target in order to convey a message to the government of Pakistan. 

The second interpretation revolves around the linkage between Lal Masjid and government’s operation. Militants have warned of a backlash in retaliation for the killings in the military operation against the radical cleric of Lal Masjid. It is argued that the attackers were incensed by government’s action against Lal Masjid. In an implied form it has also been suggested that the Chinese government’s statement welcoming the operation against the Lal Masjid did not go down well with certain elements within Pakistani society. The sympathetic elements in the North West Frontier Province expressed their anger by killing the Chinese. 

The third interpretation stresses that it was a case of simple robbery. The dacoits found them an easy target. They were reportedly deprived of Rs.400, 000 but it has also been reported that the police managed to nab the dacoits and recovered the money. The reports also suggest that the police had advised the Chinese to make some arrangements about their security. 

The fourth interpretation revolves around the activities of what is often referred as the ‘foreign hand’. The argument revolves around the activities of both friendly as well as unfriendly countries for different reasons and objectives. Both the Americans and the Indians are alleged to be active in pursuits aimed to damage Pakistan-China relations and to effectively check the Chinese popularity among the Pakistanis. It is a well known fact that neither India nor the US is happy with the emerging hub of Gawadar Port that could not only become a commercial hub but could, according to some, also be used by the Chinese to extend its influence. It is also argued that even the Iranian look at the emerging centre of commercial activities rather disapprovingly. 

Effectively downgrading Sino-Pakistan ties is also alleged to be one of the objectives involved. While it is true that the latest killing is unlikely to radically alter the existing ties between Pakistan and China as the spokesperson from the Foreign Office has already stated that killing would not only hurt Sino-Pak relations but one cannot altogether dismiss that it would leave bad taste in the mouth of all concerned. 

In addition to foreign office spokesperson both the President and the Prime Minister have not only strongly condemned the killings of the three Chinese guest workers but also sent messages of condolence to their Chinese counterparts. The Pakistani officials stressed that the government of Pakistan will make all out effort to arrest the criminals who are involved in this dastardly act and punish them. In addition the government of Pakistan is making efforts to provide security to the Chinese in Pakistan. 

It is indeed unfortunate that some misguided individuals indulge in acts that can damage Pakistan’s image abroad. Already it is a well known fact that there are many forces working against Pakistan and trying to weaken Pakistan’s ties with its acknowledged friends. While it is not appropriate to attribute such pursuits to any particular individual unless the investigation is completed but one thing stands out that main objective appears to weaken the strong Sino-Pakistan ties. 

Given the past history Sino-Pak relations it is not too far fetched to assume the relations that have been strengthen over the years are unlikely to be radically influenced by such cowardly acts. However one cannot deny that even a small similar incident would extract some toll of incumbent level of strong ties. Therefore it is imperative that no effort should be spared to capture the culprits quickly. 

The attitude of the Chinese government need to be appreciated that despite such incidents and intended provocations, the Chinese have adopted a wise policy pursuit and continued to extend their cooperation with the government of Pakistan. To stress that a quick investigation be conducted and eventually punishment to the culprit should be awarded is something very normal and natural from the affected party.

The writer works for Islamabad Policy research Institute.