World | Pakistan
Kidnapping deals severe blow to ties with China
Radical Islamic students freed nine people, including three Chinese women, hours after kidnapping them yesterday from a massage parlour here, officials said.
- By Wajid Ali Wajid, Correspondent
- Published: 00:24 June 24, 2007
Islamabad: Radical Islamic students freed nine people, including three Chinese women, hours after kidnapping them yesterday from a massage parlour here, officials said.
Dozens of Islamic students seized the nine people from a massage parlour in an upscale neighbourhood of Islamabad, police official Mohammad Naeem said.
They were released after about 14 hours, said Abdul Rashid Ghazi, one of two brothers who run the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque).
Ghazi said the abductees were "spreading obscenity" and "running a brothel in the cover of a massage parlour".
Six foreign women were taken, including three Chinese. One Chinese man and two Pakistani men were also among those kidnapped. Ghazi didn't disclose the nationalities of the three other women.
The incident has dealt a severe blow to Pakistan-China bilateral ties at a time when the Interior Ministry was extremely busy in gathering information about 22 Chinese Muslim terrorists who, according to Beijing, were supposedly hiding in the restive tribal regions.
Strategic partner
China, a strategic partner and "time-tested friend" of Pakistan has been complaining against the interference of Pakistan-based foreign terrorists in Chinese Muslim-populated areas.
Two days back, Chinese authorities handed over to Pakistani authorities a list of 22 Chinese terrorists who might be hiding in the restive tribal regions.
Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Luo Zhaohui held detailed talks with the leader of opposition in the National Assembly and MMA's leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman and expressed his deep concern over the prevailing situation and sought his help in freeing the detainees.
Rehman condemned the kidnapping of Chinese expatriates and urged the masjid authorities to free them immediately and unconditionally as it was not the way to fight corruption.
The ambassador said that he was in constant contact with the authorities but expressed concern about the safety of his compatriots. He refused to talk to the media present outside the Frontier House building where he met with the leader of opposition.
But Rehman told the media that he has assured the Chinese ambassador of his help. "Muslims in the world are already under pressure and activities like kidnapping are bound to add to their woes. Lal Masjid should refrain from doing such things in this way," he added.
Double-edged sword
Masood Malik, a journalist and political analyst, said the government was now caught in a bind. "The rebellion of Lal Masjid authorities is transformed into a double-edged sword for the government.
"If it takes armed action against these militant mullahs, anti-government protests will get started immediately and will spread across the country. The opposition will not sit back and support the government action, but the government's inaction will draw flak, not only domestically but internationally also." He said a dialogue with the Lal Masjid authorities is the only way out. "Otherwise the government is in a closed street, our national dignity, respect and ties with Beijing are at stake," he added.
Most of the political pundits are of the view that such incidents are regularly occurring against Chinese expatriates in Pakistan because of increasing Chinese influence in trade, business investment.
"Some powers don't like increasing Chinese influence in Pakistan, so they might be the force behind such unfortunate incidents," said a senior Interior Ministry official.
- With additional inputs from AP
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