Pakistan, the Radicalization of the Jihadist Movement and the Challenge to China

Abstract

This paper gives a short comprehensive overview of Pakistan's historical role in the emergence, development and radicalization of jihadist movements since the 1980s. India, as well as faraway states like the US and the UK, has suffered from this jihadist phenomenon. Since the early 1990s, China, one of Pakistan's major neighbors and friends, has not been immune from a growing Uighur jihadist movement which has found sanctuary in Afghan and Pakistani territory and threatens the stability and security of its Xinjiang Province, and beyond. The challenge of this dangerous phenomenon risks carrying on if the Pakistani government and military will not put an end to it.