Foreign news

Xinjiang religious freedom fully guaranteed: report

Published

6 years ago

November 4, 2020

The Islamic Association of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Tuesday released a report on freedom of religious belief in the northwestern Chinese region.

Recently, some anti-China forces from the United States and some other Western countries have been wantonly spreading fallacies that Xinjiang “restricts freedom of religious belief” and “demolishes mosques by force,” the report said.

Disregarding facts, these groundless claims have severely hurt the feelings of Muslims in Xinjiang and aroused strong indignation and opposition, the Islamic Association of Xinjiang said in the report.

The right to freedom of religious belief in Xinjiang is fully guaranteed and normal religious activities are carried out in an orderly way, said the report.

Muslims’ dietary habits, festivals, wedding and funeral practices, and customs and rituals are also respected in Xinjiang, it said.

Thanks to the strong support of the government, the conditions of mosques have been improved across the board, and they have been equipped with running water, electricity, natural gas, heating, and communications facilities. Roads leading to mosques have been improved to make access easier, said the report.

In addition, governments at all levels in Xinjiang have taken effective measures to help religious organizations and religious schools improve their working and teaching conditions. The Xinjiang Islamic Institute has built its new campus as well as eight branches across Xinjiang.

Since 1996, many Muslims have taken charter flights arranged by the government to make pilgrimages to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Up to now, more than 50,000 Muslims in the region have completed the pilgrimages.

Religious personages’ right to participate in the deliberation and administration of state affairs is fully guaranteed, the report stated.

More than 1,400 religious personages from all ethnic groups in Xinjiang serve as deputies to the people’s congresses or members of committees of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference at all levels to exercise the right to participate in the deliberation and administration of state affairs, it said.

“Seeing the religious harmony in Xinjiang, some people in the United States became fretful, fabricating and selling a set of lies and fallacies in order to achieve their hidden agendas,” the report said. “In fact, the United States itself is plagued with serious religious discrimination.”

“We urge the U.S. to pay more attention to religious discrimination on its own land, stop politicizing religious issues, let alone desecrate the holy name of religion, because any rumor and slander cannot deny the fact that freedom of religious belief is guaranteed in Xinjiang,” the report said.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency

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Foreign news

Court of Arbitration Declares Indus Waters Treaty Fully Operational Rejects India’s ‘Abeyance’

Published

1 month ago

August 31, 2026

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

The Court of Arbitration has unanimously reaffirmed that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) remains fully in force, ruling that India cannot unilaterally place the 1960 agreement in “abeyance” or suspend its obligations under the treaty.

The decision represents a significant legal development in the longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan over the management and use of the Indus river system.

The Court’s finding addresses a fundamental issue at the heart of the dispute: whether either party can unilaterally suspend the treaty outside the legal framework agreed by both countries.

In its unanimous determination, the Court made clear that the IWT continues to bind both India and Pakistan and that its obligations cannot be set aside through a unilateral political declaration.

The ruling means India remains subject to the treaty provisions governing the use of the Western Rivers, including requirements relating to the design and operation of hydroelectric projects, as well as the dispute-resolution mechanisms established under the agreement.

The Court has also ordered interim measures concerning the Ratle Hydroelectric Plant, restricting specified construction activities while the broader dispute remains under consideration.

The measures are aimed at preserving the effectiveness of the arbitration process and preventing developments that could prejudice the outcome of the proceedings.

For Pakistan, the decision represents significant legal validation of its longstanding position that the IWT is a binding international agreement and contains no provision allowing either party to unilaterally place it in abeyance.

Pakistan has consistently maintained that disagreements over the treaty should be addressed through the institutional mechanisms established by the agreement, rather than through unilateral action.

The IWT provides a structured framework for resolving disputes through mechanisms including the Permanent Indus Commission, Neutral Expert and Court of Arbitration processes.

The latest ruling therefore reinforces the principle that treaty obligations cannot simply be disregarded because of deteriorating political relations between signatories.

The significance of the decision extends beyond the India-Pakistan dispute. It underscores the broader international-law principle that agreements governing shared rivers and other transboundary resources must be respected and disputes resolved through established legal and institutional channels.

The Indus river system supports agriculture, livelihoods, food security and communities across the region, making the stability of the treaty particularly important.

The ruling also highlights the distinction between seeking to amend an international agreement through mutually agreed procedures and attempting to alter its obligations unilaterally.

The IWT has endured wars, prolonged diplomatic tensions and periods of limited bilateral engagement. Its continued operation demonstrates the importance of rules-based mechanisms in managing shared resources when relations between neighbouring states become strained.

For Pakistan, the outcome provides an opportunity to frame the decision not merely as a bilateral legal victory, but as an affirmation of international law, treaty compliance and peaceful dispute resolution.

The central message from the ruling is clear: the Indus Waters Treaty remains in force, its obligations continue to bind both parties, and disputes concerning shared waters must be addressed through the legal mechanisms agreed by India and Pakistan.

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