Pakistan's prime minister offered Friday Prayers in China's Xinjiang Province, as he became one of the few leaders of an Islamic country to visit the region since more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities there were swept into detention facilities. Successive governments in Islamabad have refused to acknowledge evidence of the mass incarceration of Muslims by its key economic ally in a region that borders Pakistan. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar travelled to China to take part in a summit hosted by President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week to celebrate his Belt and Road Initiative, a vast trade and infrastructure project. A statement released by Kakar's office made no mention of the alleged human rights abuses.
Pakistani PM Makes Rare Visit To China's Xinjiang
Pakistan's interim prime minister, Anwaar-ul Haq Kakar (back left), and his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang (back right), look on as officials of both states signing agreements as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Beijing on October 18.