Uyghur diaspora held protests in Istanbul, against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for his remarks on China just prior to departing to attend the inaugural ceremony of Beijing Olympics 2022.
Uyghur Muslim protesters gathered in front of the Pakistan consulate in Istanbul on February 11 and raised slogans against Imran Khan's statement in which he gave a clean chit to China with respect to its suppressions on Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, according to reports. Uyghurs stated that the main reason for the protest was "the lies of Imran Khan and the deportation of Uyghur Muslims from Pakistan."
Buses carrying 130 protestors reached the location close to Pakistan Consulate in Istanbul.
However, only 10 protestors were allowed to stand in front of the Pakistan consulate main gate at a time. A memorandum was submitted to security officials who refused to receive it. The envelope containing the memorandum was pasted on the main gate of the consulate.
Senior officers of the Pakistan embassy came out to reason with the protesters. Interestingly they tried to convince the protesters to go and protest in front of the Chinese embassy.
After much argument, only 25 protesters were allowed at the site with the assurance they would not disrupt the traffic. However, starting with 25, the number of protesters increased to 70. After half an hour the Turkish police forcibly boarded the protesters and sent them back.
During the protest clash between the security officials and protestors occurred many times. A minor skirmish occurred when the consulate senior officer stopped a few Uyghurs from raising anti-Imran Khan slogans.
Imran Khan, who has long projected himself as a champion of Islamic causes, continues to support China on its policy regarding Xinjiang, despite the global bid to hold Beijing accountable for suppressing Uyghur Muslims in the region.
Italian political advisor and geopolitical expert Sergio Restelli said the growing dependence on China for economic aid and diplomatic support is the major reason that Pakistani leadership is left with no option but to publicly commit to China's policies even though they are responsible for the genocide of Uyghur Muslims.
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