Xinjiang’s growing PoK links cloud China’s stance on Kashmir
Source: hindu The Hindu In People's Square at the heart of Kashgar, a sign calls to "accelerate the development of Kashgar's Special Economic Zone" and to transform the city into a "model" international city. Photo: Ananth Krishnan At sunset, the Pakistan Café on Seman Road here bursts into life. Here, Pakistani traders from across this dusty trading town gather for tea, sharing stories of their day’s work, all united by a common ambition of grabbing a slice of this region’s growth. “We have great belief in what China is doing here,” says one trader who has driven to Kashgar from Gilgit, in disputed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The ongoing transformation of this old Silk Road town has left their spirits high. China is planning to build its first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the west in Kashgar, hoping to boost development in southern Xinjiang which has lagged behind the rest of the region and has been the source of recent et