IBEIJING: Within five days of Pakistani president
Asif Ali Zardari visiting Beijing, Chinese
authorities on Tuesday indicated that most of the
terrorists operating on its soil have close links
with similar groups and base camps in Pakistan.
The statement is meant to exert serious pressure
on Pakistan at a time with Islamabad is
desperately seeking financial and nuclear
assistance from Beijing.
China's Ministry of Public Security on Tuesday
listed major terrorist leaders of the East
Turkistan Islamic Movement while saying that they
were involved with similar groups and base camps
in a "south Asian country" for the purpose of
training and exchange of arms and ammunitions. The
movement is fighting for carving out China's
Xinjiang province and other parts of Central Asia
to create an East Turkistan nation for several
decades, sources said.
The ministry did not identify the "south Asian
country". But terrorism experts say that the
reference to Pakistan, which borders China's
troubled Xinjiang province, is obvious. ETIM,
which has been identified by the United Nations as
a terrorist group, is known to be head quartered
in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) of
Pakistan.
Rohan Gunaratna, who heads the Singapore based
International Centre for Political Violence and
Terrorism Research, recently said there is
overwhelming evidence that the ETIM has been
providing training to Uighur terrorists at camps
located in Pakistan and Afghanistan. ETIM has also
"built a village exclusively for the Uighurs" in
the White Mountains of Afghanistan near Jalalabad
and the Pakistan border, he said.
Indications are that the Chinese government is
asking Pakistan to provide all the necessary
assistance in order to apprehend the Uighur
outlaws. Most of the major terrorists leaders are
on the run and enjoy the backing of groups based
in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia, sources
said.
As its first target, the ministry named Memetiming
Memeti, head of ETIM since 2003, who was last seen
in a video distributed over the Internet in June
this year. He "illegally exited China and joined
the ETIM terrorist organization in a south Asian
country" in 1998 and went on to become the main
organiser for the groups training camps. "In
January, he issued an order to conduct terrorist
attack specifically targeting the Beijing Olympic
Games," the ministry said.
"Muslims from the Uighur region have travelled to
Pakistan and Central Asia for terrorist and
extremist training, where they have been exposed
to the global jihad movement. For example, the two
Uighur women involved in the March 18 attack on
China Southern Airlines flight CZ6901 were
controlled by a Pakistani militant group,"
Gunaratna said in an article recently.
The ministry released details of the terrorist
activities of eight ultra leaders revealing that
they have wide ranging links in East Asia, South
Asia and West Asia. But it did not name any
country specifically. The ministry's list of
terrorists include Emeti Yakuf, also know as Aibu
Abudureheman and Saifula, Memetituersun Yiming,
also known as Abuduaini, Memetituersun Abuduhalike,
also known as Metusun Abuduhalike, Ansarui,
Xiamisidingaihemaiti Abudumijiti, also known as
Saiyide, Aikemilai Wumaierjiang and Tuersun Toheti.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest_of_World/China_indicates_Uighur_
terrorists_have_close_links_with_Pak/articleshow/3624970.cmst.
