Owning the Uighurs

There are reports of Uighur families settled in Pakistan being deprived of the financial assistance provided to them by the Chinese government, which had made available $4.5 million to the Gilgit-Baltistan Chinese Overseas Association (G-B COA) at the beginning of the year — funds intended as tuition fee of school-going Uighur children. Reports have now emerged that the funds have not reached their rightful recipients for nearly five months. The monetary support for education was first provided by China in 2010 and was subsequently handed to the G-B COA, a representative body for Uighur families. Many of the affected children have now been forced out of school because of lack of funds.

The presence of people of Chinese origin in this region dates back to the 1949 Cultural Revolution when more than 100 families fled Xinjiang, China, and settled in parts of Pakistan, mostly in Gilgit–Baltistan. This migration continued for decades after, until around the 1980s. These are migrants who came to Pakistan and made it their home under very challenging circumstances. Till date, little seems to have been done to make their lives comfortable in the country, especially in terms of their financial stability and the economic opportunities made available to them.

To compound these difficulties by denying them the little help provided by the Chinese government is a travesty indeed. Ideally, the Uighurs settled here wouldn’t need to rely on Chinese assistance to enable their children to receive education, which is a fundamental right. While Beijing, to its credit, sees the provision of education to the Uighurs of Gilgit-Baltistan as its responsibility, it is time Pakistan also started viewing the community as its own, given that these people have been living in the country for generations. Many young Uighurs have lived here all their lives and this is the only home they know. Pakistan should see them as part of its social fabric and take responsibility for their well-being. The attitude currently adopted by the state will only lead to feelings of alienation within the community.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2015.

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