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These days blood is being spilled in China over alleged communal
and racial discrimination. China's biggest province-Xinjiang-is in
the grip of bloody riots. If these riots. continue, Yinjiang may
any day, separate from China. Although China has not divided, as
the Soviet Union did, if the situation does not improve, China will
start breaking up.
China is now feeling that the Muslim states that separated from
Communist Russia can pose threat to its unity. Kazakhstan which
has a common border with China, can any time ring the danger
signal. China's Yinjiang province is beside Kazakhstan. There is
no part of the world where there are no riots of some kind or
another. Conflicts go on in the name of religion, language, race
and what not. If America is plagued by apartheid, Pakistan is no
less embroiled in Shia-Sunni animosity. Every people fights for
survival and has recourse to this kind of stratagem to preserve its
own identity. For this so-called identity riots are exploited as a
political weapon, although the ultimate aim is power.
And now there are reports from Beijing that the province of
Yinjiang is passing through a phase of unrest and chaos. The series
of riots that had rocked Yining, the largest city of Yinjiang, are
still raging unabated. There are reports of about 300 soldiers
either killed or injured; actually a thousand Muslims. of Yinjiang
have been done to death. The Government has dubbed them 'rebels'
with the Army following suit with the exhortation : Muslim uprising
should be nipped in the bud. Armed forces have been deployed
throughout Yinjiang. There is no let-up in the skirmishes taking
place since the last several weeks. It seems the Uighur people of
Xinjiang have armed themselves to engage in a fight to finish. The
situation flared up when the Government, relying on their own
secret reports, liquidated a thousand residents of Xinjiang, who
had been calling themselves Muslim Mujahideens who maintain that it
is not a matter of identity, it is their fight for survival. The
Government charge is that some Xinjiang Muslims have become bitter
enemies of the Chinese of the Han descent. The Government's chief
objective is to save the people of the Han clan. The Government has
been doing all that is possible to localise the riots. Government
fears that Hans from other areas might come over to take revenge
against the people of Xinjiang.
The riots that spread from Yining are mostly between Xinjiang
Muslims called Uighurs and Chinese of Han origin. The Uighur
Muslims of Xinjiang believe that the Chinese Government is
conspiring to reduce them to a minority in their own state. The
Government is bringing Han Chinese from other places for settling
them in Xinjiang. What once Stalin and Krushchev did with Islamic
states to reduce their population-is being done these days by the
Chinese Government. The target was to anyhow reduce the population
of Uighurs, and to increase the number of non-Muslim Chinese. If
this happens, Uighur Muslims mill be reduced to a minority, and Han
Chinese will become the majority community and will dominate over
the former. This is how the Uighurs mill be politically and
socially weakened. The Chinese Government is scared of Muslim
fundamentalism. By adopting this stratagem it wants to do away with
the Muslim dominance.
According to The New York Times, in 1949, the population of Hans
was only four per cent. But now this figure stands at 40 per cent.
According to a secret report, the Chinese Government wants the Han
Chinese population to rise 60 per cent by 2020. That is, if the
Uighurs become a minority, China can be spared the spectre of a
Muslim state, especially the danger from Kazakistan will be
eliminated. China feared that Muslim states could help Uighurs in
'liberating' Xinjiang. Thus by adversely affecting Chinese unity,
the Muslims will be able to form a new Muslim state.
The Hans deny this allegation, saying that in coming here they have
neither a political motive nor any intention to reduce the Muslims
to a minority. Their only objective is to earn a livelihood. As in
China industrialisation has an upper hand, many 'rebel s' have
invested in Xinjiang. That is why economic prospects in Xinjiang
are very bright. The Chinese Government also gives hefty, aid to
Xinjiang. That is why there are a good number of industrial
establishments here. People from other provinces wish to come here
for work. Uighurs say this is only an excuse - the real objective
is to reduce them to a minority and "grab their state".
Xinjiang is such a province that any moment it could pose a
challenge to Chinese unity and integrity. To Xinjiang's north is
Russia; and to its south lies Tibet. Its western part is surrounded
by Muslim dominated states. Three such states are those that
separated from the Soviet Union and are contiguous with Pakistan.
The biggest danger comes from Kazakhstan where a good number of
Yinjiang rebel leaders have taken refuge.
China alleges that based in Kazakhstan some fundamentalist Muslims
have started a separatist movement. China fears the fact that by
inciting the Muslim majority population of Yinjiang some powers
want to break it and form a new Islamic state. Uighur Muslims are a
merciless community. They ill-treat the Han Chinese. Not only are
Han Chinese belaboured-their homes and shops are burnt. The Chinese
Government is bringing in people from other provinces-mostly of the
Han clan-that is how their number is swelling.
According to The New York Times some five lakh Uighurs have become
rebels with a firm resolve to convert this land of Yinjiang into a
separate state.
They get help from the neighbouring Muslim states. Pakistan is also
with them. Pakistan and China are great friends. China has never
stopped Pakistan from sending intruders and marauders to other
countries. China never opened its mouth on Pakistan's illegal
infiltrators in Kashmir. China by its sheer strength swallowed
Tibet. Today China itself is suffering from that malady. When with
its great strength China can break other countries, why mill other
countries have any sympathy for China? It is nature's law that if
a country heaps atrocities on another country, a time comes when
the tormentor itself suffers the same fate. China is passing
through such a phase today.
Chinese government, like what happened to Tibet, cannot organise a
big operation. Because firstly, the strength of the rebels is very
great; and secondly, the rebels have Islamic countries behind them.
Tibetan people had only India for help, but the latter did not
respond. Whereas for Xinjiang Muslims, Islamic forces are rallying
in their full strength. The Dalai Lama can gather strength from
the Xinjiang happenings. If this time India pats Tibet on the
back, even the, problem of India's border land that China has
usurped - could be solved. China is in deep trouble. Xinjiang's
Uighurs are now ready to teach a lesson to that 'rampaging
elephant'. Although the problem is serious, China can keep aside
its belligerence and play., a just and meaningful role in world
affairs. Jawaharlal Nehru had offered Tibet on a silver platter to
China. Now the right time has come to make amends, It is a question
of life and death for Pakistan whether to side with the Islamic
countries or to support China.
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