Pakistanis in China seek answers about detained Uighur wives

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BEIJING (AP) — Two Pakistani men are lobbying their embassy in Beijing for help reuniting with their wives, who they say are ethnic Uighurs blocked from leaving China in the latest example of how a sweeping crackdown has spilled across China's borders.

Mirza Imran Baig, a 35-year-old Pakistani cosmetics trader, said outside the embassy Wednesday that Pakistan has not offered help.

A Lahore-based Pakistani businessman named Mian Shahid Ilyas says he has been tracking similar cases. He estimates that there are nearly two dozen Pakistani men whose mostly Uighur Chinese wives are detained or unable to leave China's far west Xinjiang region.

China's foreign ministry said Tuesday that it was not aware of the situation involving the Pakistani husbands, and reiterated its stance that its policies maintain "stability and lasting peace" in Xinjiang.