Off your hijab, let me see your eyes: China diplomat tweets dancing Uyghur woman, upsets Pak

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By
Pia Krishnankutty
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A screenshot of Zhang Heqing's now-deleted tweet | Twitter @nailainayat via screengrab

New Delhi: China’s Cultural Counsellor at the Chinese embassy in Pakistan, Zhang Heqing, sparked a row Sunday after he tweeted a video of a Chinese woman belly dancing, with a caption that read, “Off your hijab, let me see your eyes. #Xinjiang dance”.

The official subsequently deleted the tweet following the backlash.

Twitter users claimed the video was portraying an “Uyghur Muslim woman” without the traditional head covering.

China has faced mounting criticism from across the world, including claims of genocide, over its treatment of the Uyghur Muslim population in the north-western region of Xinjiang.

Several Twitter users in Pakistan took offence at the post as they claimed it hurt religious sentiments, and demanded an apology from the Chinese official.

“As a muslim and Pakistani i found these words so offensive, Hijab is a sacred thing for us,” said user Muhammad Anas.

“This is an awful statement but if the Chinese go on like with these Islamophobic statements, then Pak-China relations will not end on good terms (sic)” said another user.

Pakistan ‘not yet a colony of Xi’

Many users suggested this could strain ties between Islamabad and Beijing.

Ansar Abbasi, Pakistani columnist associated with The News International, tweeted: “Hope he [Zhang] is not here to dent Pak-Chinese Friendship.”

Pakistani journalist Naila Inayat commented: “If you ask Pakistan govt about Uyghurs they’ll tell you: Frankly, we don’t know much about it.”

Meanwhile, BBC Pakistan and Afghanistan correspondent Secunder Kermani said the diplomat is “really testing the limits of Pakistan’s close alliance with China”.

Geopolitical and security analyst Naveed Ahmad also hit out at the official for blocking “journalists as well as common citizens questioning the content and intent of his tweet”, and added that Pakistan is “not yet a colony of Xi”.

Ahmad was referring to WION’s Pakistan Bureau Chief Anas Mallick who claimed the Chinese official blocked him on Twitter. “Ah well, Chinese Diplomat @zhang_heqing has blocked me on twitter after I pointed out his derogatory tweet on Hijab. He quietly deleted it without any apology – Guess he couldn’t take somebody showing him the mirror, rightly following the footsteps of Beijing of muzzling voices,” said Mallick.

(Edited by Sanghamitra Mazumdar)

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