During Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s official visit to China (May 23–26, 2026), the two countries issued a comprehensive Joint Statement marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations and reaffirming their “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.”
In the section on regional issues, the statement noted:
“The Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on the latest developments in the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The Chinese side reiterated that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is left over from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with the U.N. Charter, relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, and bilateral agreements.”
The statement also expressed opposition to “unilateral actions” and support for maintaining peace and stability in South Asia through dialogue. It further referenced potential “trans-boundary water resources cooperation” between China and Pakistan and continued support for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
India responded swiftly and strongly on May 26, 2026. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) categorically rejected the “unwarranted references” to Jammu & Kashmir, stating:
- The Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh “have been, are, and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India.”
- No other country has the locus standi (legal standing) to comment on this internal matter.
- India “resolutely opposes and rejects” any moves to legitimise Pakistan’s “illegal and forcible occupation” of Indian territory, including through CPEC projects in those areas.
- India does not recognise the so-called 1963 boundary agreement between Pakistan and China and rejected references to “trans-boundary water resources cooperation” since the two countries do not share a boundary.
This response reflected India’s consistent position that Jammu & Kashmir is its sovereign territory, and external references to it as a “dispute” are unacceptable. Similar references in past China-Pakistan statements have drawn identical objections from New Delhi.
Now, let us examine the existential nature of the two countries discussing Kashmir, an integral part of India, which enjoys all rights and laws under the secular, liberal democracy and the Indian Constitution.
Human Rights Violations in China: A Critical Examination
The People’s Republic of China, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has faced persistent and well-documented accusations of widespread human rights violations. International organisations, governments, and independent researchers have highlighted systemic issues, including mass surveillance, arbitrary detention, cultural suppression, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms. While the Chinese government often dismisses these claims as interference in internal affairs or necessary measures for stability and development, reports from credible sources paint a concerning picture.
One of the most severe crises involves the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Since around 2017, authorities have detained over a million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in “re-education” camps, involving mass arbitrary detention, torture, forced labour, political indoctrination, and family separations. These actions have been described as crimes against humanity, with elements of coercive population control such as forced sterilisations and plummeting birth rates among minorities. Mosques have been destroyed, religious practices banned, and children separated into boarding schools for assimilation. Hundreds of thousands reportedly remain imprisoned, with little international access to the region.
Similar patterns of repression appear in Tibet, where the government imposes severe restrictions on religious freedom, language, and culture. Tibetan children face separation from families through boarding schools, while monks, educators, and activists encounter arbitrary detention, surveillance, and “re-education” programs aimed at erasing distinct identity.
In Hong Kong, the 2020 National Security Law and subsequent measures have dismantled long-protected civil liberties. Pro-democracy activists, journalists, and politicians have faced mass arrests, lengthy imprisonments, and suppression of freedoms of expression, assembly, and the press. Transnational repression extends abroad, with arrest warrants and bounties issued against exiles.
Across mainland China, freedom of expression remains heavily curtailed. The “Great Firewall” and pervasive surveillance enable widespread censorship. Journalists, lawyers, bloggers, dissidents, and human rights defenders face criminal prosecution under vague national security laws. Peaceful protests and independent NGOs are suppressed, with no allowance for independent trade unions. Enforced disappearances, including through the extrajudicial liuzhi system, torture in custody, and harsh prison conditions are reported.
Religious freedom faces broad challenges. Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and others endure surveillance, raids, and “sinicisation” policies that force alignment with CCP ideology. The death penalty continues to be applied extensively, often in secrecy and for nonviolent offences. Forced labour persists in supply chains, particularly linked to Xinjiang.
Transnational repression has intensified, with the Chinese government monitoring, harassing, and coercing diaspora communities, activists, and critics overseas—often by pressuring family members in China. Discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, women, and other groups compounds these issues, alongside a lack of independent judiciary or accountability mechanisms. amnesty.org
Human Rights Violations in Pakistan: A Critical Examination
Pakistan continues to grapple with serious and widespread human rights challenges, as documented by international and domestic monitoring organisations. Despite its democratic framework and efforts to combat extremism, the country faces persistent issues of impunity, particularly involving security forces, alongside societal discrimination and militant violence. Reports highlight enforced disappearances, restrictions on freedoms, misuse of blasphemy laws, and gender-based violence as key concerns.
One of the most pressing problems is the ongoing practice of enforced disappearances, especially in Balochistan, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Activists, journalists, students, nationalists, and critics—particularly from Baloch and Pashtun communities—have been targeted. Many victims are later found dead with signs of torture, and accountability remains extremely limited despite the existence of official commissions of inquiry.
Freedom of expression and media freedom face significant threats. Authorities use vague laws related to cyber terrorism, defamation, sedition, and anti-terrorism to arrest, harass, and censor journalists, bloggers, activists, and opposition members. Protests are often restricted with force, mass arrests, and preventive detentions, while internet surveillance and content blocking have expanded. This has created a climate of fear, particularly affecting independent voices and political opposition.
Religious freedom remains severely restricted. Blasphemy laws are frequently misused against Ahmadiyya Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Shia Muslims, and others, leading to arbitrary arrests, mob lynchings, extrajudicial killings, and death sentences. Attacks on places of worship and forced conversions, especially of minority girls in Sindh, continue with inadequate government response. International bodies have repeatedly recommended designating Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations.
Ethnic and religious minorities, along with other vulnerable groups, experience systemic discrimination. This includes violence against transgender persons and the mass deportation of Afghan refugees, often criticised as collective punishment. In conflict-affected areas like Balochistan, security operations have led to civilian casualties and further repression.
Women and girls face high levels of gender-based violence, including rape, honour killings, acid attacks, domestic abuse, and forced or child marriages. Access to justice is limited, and enforcement of protective laws remains weak despite some legislative progress.
Additional concerns include torture and ill-treatment in custody, the use of military courts for civilians, restrictions on NGOs and workers’ rights, and the continued application of the death penalty. Transnational repression and a general lack of independent oversight for security forces compound the problem of impunity.
These violations are substantiated by survivor testimonies, leaked documents, satellite imagery, media reports, NGO documentation, and on-the-ground investigations, though access to sensitive areas and verification in conflict-affected regions remains severely restricted. Both China and Pakistan counter these criticisms by emphasising their respective efforts—China highlighting poverty reduction and economic development as human rights achievements, while pointing to issues in other countries, and Pakistan underscoring its legislative measures on disappearances, counter-extremism efforts, and challenges with terrorism, economic difficulties, and regional stability.
However, in both cases, the scale and systemic nature of the documented abuses highlight the hypocrisy of the two countries and their subterfuge in attacking India over the years.
