Recently some 14 people including a Chinese police officer were killed in a spate of violent incidents in China's volatile Xinjiang province. Also, 4 suspects were shot and four others were caught by police. Here is a brief background about this volatile region of China.
Who are Uyghurs?
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The Uyghur are a Turkic-speaking Muslim Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. In July 2009, at least 200 people were killed and over 1000 injured when rioters clashed with the police in Urumqi, the regional capital of the Xinjiang province.
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Uighurs is the largest ethnic group in Xinjiang but is a minority in Urumqi.
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Uighurs is a largely Muslim Turkic people who share linguistic and cultural bonds with Central Asia.
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Kazakhstan is home to their largest community of Uyghurs outside of China.
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Why there is unrest?
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The basic reason is that the Chinese government has encouraged Han migration to Xinjiang with an hidden objective of ethnic purging.
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In Xinjiang, Han Chinese only made up five percent of the population in the 1940s, compared with more than 40 percent of the current population of around 20 million now.
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Many Uighurs, a Turkic speaking Muslim group, resent rule by the Han Chinese.
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The Uighurs want jobs, respect for their cultural and religious traditions and a respectable share of benefits from the region's energy resources. But the Chinese government has tried hard to keep oil-rich Xinjiang under tight control since the 1990s.
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It was that decade when there were waves of protests, riots and bombings in this area. China has accused militant Uighurs of working with al-Qaida to bring about an independent East Turkestan. China blamed attacks before and during the 2008 Olympic Games on Uighur militants
What are implications?
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Ethnic clashes between Uighurs and Han Chinese could have a longterm effect on 'all-weather' friendship between Pakistan and China, which was evident from recent claims of China about ISI activities on its land. The terrorist activities inside China may be intensified.
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Uighur extremists and members of the outlawed East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) have already been blamed for sporadic terrorist activities.
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China has already cracked the whip on militant movements between Pakistan's north-western region and Xinjiang. Russia has stated that its China's internal matter but Muslim world, including Turkey, has started to severely criticize the Chinese policy in tackling the sensitive issue of this province.
