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As ties with US sour, Pak cosies up to China, Saudi Arabia

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is pulling out all stops to offset rising tensions with the US and possible economic and military sanctions by reaching out to its closest allies, Saudi Arabia and China. Days after the stinging accusation that the ISI was backing Afghan insurgents, Islamabad tried to please Beijing by vowing to root out Uighur militants holed up in its territory and staged war games with Saudi Arabia, besides sending and receiving top intelligence officials from the Gulf kingdom. Chinas enemy is Islamabads enemy, interior minister Rehman Malik told visiting Chinese vice-prime minister Meng Jianzhu on Tuesday, and vowed to strike very hard against Uighur militants based in his country. Alongside, ISI chief Shuja Pasha was dispatched to Riyadh to hold talks with Saudi officials. Malik said Pakistan had killed and extradited several Uighur militants responsible for attacks in Chinas western Xinjiang province. The Uighur rebels are known to be receiving training in Pakistans lawless tribal areas. Earlier, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said the two countries were true friends and that they count on each other after. Thank you once again...for (the) supportive statement in favour of Pakistans sovereignty and integrity. Analysts say Islamabad is trying to ensure that China fills any diplomatic and economic void if the US severs or downgrades ties. China and Pakistan have long enjoyed good ties and share wariness of India and a desire to prevent growing US influence in the region. Beijing had called Osama bin Ladens killing a progressive development but defended Islamabad on charges of failing to find the global fugitive.

                                                                                                               
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