Accusing Pakistan of conducting selective crackdown against militant groups, former Afghan intelligence chief has cautioned China against confining its crackdown on terrorism to just one militant group in Xinjiang which he said is a part of a wider network of Taliban and al-Qaeda backed groups destabilising the region.
Contesting Pakistan's assertion of deploying over a lakh troops in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), former Afghanistan intelligence Chief Amarullah Saleh asked if that many troops were deployed why the militant groups continue to function.
FATA is a tribal region bordering Afghanistan where several militant groups are active.
"Because Pakistan army is conducting selective operations and selectivity creates a space which is exploited by Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP)," Saleh said, speaking at a strategic dialogue here on "China, India, the UK and Afghanistan: A Partnership for Stability" in which representatives of the four countries, including former Indian Army Chief Retd Gen N C Vij, took part.
TIP is the other name for East Turkistan Islamic Movement which is active in China's Xinjiang where over 11 million Uygur Muslims were restive over increasing settlements of the Hans from the other provinces.
China blames ETIM, an al-Qaeda backed outfit fighting for the independence of Xinjiang, for all major terrorist attacks in the country.
Pakistan military in recent months said a number of ETIM militants were killed in its air and land operations in FATA (tribal) area.
"ETIM or TIP did not go there to establish base. The very basic question who invited them to FATA and provided training and sanctuaries and the other infrastructure which should be destroyed," Saleh said.
China should not be satisfied with getting few of the ETIM militants as it is part of the large network of groups like Taliban, al-Qaeda in the region including Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Central Asia, Saleh said.
