'China's big mistake' - Pakistanis lobby to free wives trapped in Xinjiang

Pakistani businessman Mirza Imran Baig and his compatriot sit outside the Pakistani embassy waiting for assistance in the cases of their wifes in Beijing, China, September 25, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

BEIJING (Reuters) - Pakistani businessmen whose wives and children are trapped in China's restive Xinjiang are travelling to Beijing to lobby their embassy, in hopes that the south Asian nation's new government will pressure its ally for their release.

Beijing has faced an outcry from activists, some governments and U.N. human rights experts over mass detentions and strict surveillance of the mostly Muslim Uighur minority, and other Muslim groups, in the western region.