Now China Points Finger at Pakistan on Terror Camps!
By Animesh Roul
COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG
After sentencing a Canadian citizen, Huseyin Celil for allegedly participating in separatist and terrorist activities in western Xinjiang province, China took another surprising dig at long time ally Pakistan. China reportedly said that East Turkestan (Uyghur) Islamic terrorists operating on Pakistan's soil and trained in special camps in its territory. This is the first time Beijing administration charged Pakistan for harboring anti-China elements in its soil. The revelation came in a court document in the trial of jailed Canadian in which it was mentioned that Celil joined the East Turkistan Liberation Organisation (ETLO) way back in 1997 and acted a senior instructor in Kyrgyzstan. As per the document Celil allegedly recruited people and sent them to various training camps on the Pamir Plateau in Pakistan territory. ETLO's prime objective is to carve an independent East Turkestan by uniting parts of China and Kyrgyzstan.
In a major effort to clampdown terror elements, on January 5, 2007 Chinese security forces raided another outfit's, Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), hideouts on the Chinese side of the Pamir plateau and reportedly killed at least 18 and arrested as many terrorists.
Although the Chinese fingers are pointed towards Pakistan now, in late 2003, China conveyed similar concerns and believed to have sent a list and profile of eleven Uyghur terrorists and at least two major outfits— ETIM and ETLO– to Pakistan and other countries for investigations. Even the issue was raised during President Musharraf's visit to Beijing. There are even reports, though not forthcoming, regarding possible linkages between al Qaeda and Eastern Turkistan outfits, especially with the ETIM. It is believed that the al Qaeda funded and trained more than 1,000 ETIM members. The United Nations already labeled ETIM a terrorist organization in 2002.
However, the latest revelation might expose more skeleton in Pakistan's cupboard and push Islamabad to do more of an effort to prove its credential as a trusted partner in the ongoing war against terrorism.
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