Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai hailed the development and progress in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Tuesday, urging Western countries not to use the issue of human rights as an excuse to discredit China.

Karzai, who was the first democratically elected head of state of Afghanistan, serving from 2004 to 2014, made the remarks during an interview with China Daily in Beijing. Karzai also served as the nation's interim leader from 2001 to 2004.

"We've seen a lot of comments, a lot of media reports about Xinjiang. But I have visited Xinjiang many times over the years. I have found immense development taking place in Xinjiang, the prosperity there, and the well-being of the people of Xinjiang," Karzai said.