Imran Khan to attend opening ceremony of Bejing Olympics amidst the West's diplomatic boycott

On Thursday, the Foreign Office of Pakistan informed that Prime Minister Imran Khan would attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which is scheduled to take place on February 4 this year. In a statement, it said, “Pakistan opposes any form of politicisation of sports and hopes that all nations would come together in Beijing and afford their athletes the opportunity to compete against the best and showcase their skill.” Spokesman Iftikar Ahmed had added, “We are confident that despite limitations imposed by Covid-19, the Beijing Winter Olympics would offer a spectacular and colourful gala to sports enthusiasts around the world, including in Pakistan.” Dilpomatic boycott by Western nations and Chinese response Imran Khan had decided to visit China at a time when the Communist nation is being held to account for committing gross human rights abuse, especially against the Uyghur Muslims in the restive province of Xinjiang. Amid a bitter trade war between Australia and China, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had in December 2021 announced that his country would diplomatically boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over ‘human rights abuses’. Pakistan’s continuous reticence on acknowledging human rights abuses of Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang While Pakistan bills itself as the leader of the Islamic ummah, it has been dismissive, and on occasions questioned the authenticity of reports of human rights violations of the Uyghur Muslim minority in the Chinese province of Xinjiang.