Pak disturbed by nobel for Liu Xiaobo

Pakistan, a close ally of China, has said it was “deeply perturbed” by the Nobel Committee's decision to honour jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo with the 2010 Peace Prize, claiming that the move had politicised the award and affected its prestige.

Pakistan, a close ally of China, has said it was “deeply perturbed” by the Nobel Committee's decision to honour jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo with the 2010 Peace Prize, claiming that the move had politicised the award and affected its prestige.

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In a statement, Pakistan's Foreign Office said Islamabad was “surprised and deeply perturbed to learn about the decision of the Nobel Committee to award the Nobel Peace Prize 2010 to Liu.”

“This decision runs contrary to the established principles for the award of the prize and therefore cannot but be seen to be detracting from the prestige associated with this award,” the statement said.

Liu, a 54-year-old former university professor serving an 11-year prison term for subversion, was awarded the peace prize on October 8 for his “long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.”

The Pakistan Foreign Office noted that Liu was sentenced by the Chinese judicial system and “has done nothing that could possibly qualify him for the Nobel Peace Prize.”

It also claimed that the “spirit of humanity that imbues the Chinese civilisation is a shining example to ...the world.”