Indian Defence Review

The Mutilated Reality of J&K

The dirty mind games of the Communist Party of China (CPC) continue unabated, especially through one of its slimy mouthpieces ‘Global Times’, be it through editorials or articles. The propaganda and perception building continues at multiple levels, including through many Think Tanks and universities whose names are as confusing as China’s foreign policy of ‘Biang Biang Noodles’ – personifying ambiguity.  So, you have this ‘China West Normal University’, with the ‘Normal’ perhaps inserted to depict they are not weird or abnormal.  China West Normal University, established in 1946  and presently having some 30,343 students  has a Centre for Indian Studies and the Director of this Centre, Long Xingchun, has penned an article in Global Times (script approved by CPC?) threatening that a “Third Country” could enter Kashmir – lacking the guts to say China? 

The Article titled ‘India breaks international law over unwarranted fears’ published in Global Times on July 9, quotes China’s foreign affairs and defense ministries announcement that the Doklam Plateau is Chinese territories. Focus of this article is: Indian troops invasion was intended to help Bhutan; India is pursuing hegemonic diplomacy in South Asia, seriously violating the UN Charter and undermining basic norms of international relations; India controls Bhutan’s defence and diplomacy, seriously violating Bhutan’s sovereignty and national interests;  Western countries are attempting to use India to contain China; even if India were requested to defend Bhutan’s territory, this could be limited to its established territory, not the disputed area; if the Pakistani government requests , a third country’s army can enter the area disputed by India and Pakistan, including India controlled Kashmir.    

What Long Xingchun, who is also research fellow at the Charhar Institute (a new Think Tank to promote China’s foreign policies and development of international order), fails to realize is: one, both India and Bhutan are sovereign nations mutually enjoying highly friendly and healthy relations; two, it is Bhutan that has had to issue a demarche to the “mighty” China – which should be a matter of shame to the Chinese Government and should open the eyes of the Chinese public of blatant Chinese hegemony and its long-term global repercussions; three, Doklam Plateau is Bhutanese territory, even as China has mischievously shifted the Tri-Junction quoting a Tibet-Sikkim Treaty that Tibet did not even sign; four, any area cannot become “disputed” every time China keeps expanding its illegal claim lines akin to the proverbial camel in the tent; five, the entire original State of J&K is Indian Territory based on the British appointed Radcliff Commission that led to the birth of Pakistan, besides, the legal accession of J&K to India by the Maharaja of J&K which is very much in records of the UN; six, it is China that is in illegal possession of 38,000 sq kms of Aksai Chin and 5180 sq kms of Shaksgam Valley which are both part of State of J&K and therefore Indian Territory; seven, India has not invaded China; eight, Chinese activities in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) without reference to India are in flagrant violation of international norms; nine, the reference to “established territory” with reference to Bhutan is misnomer considering China illegally and blatantly claims territories of 23 countries while sharing borders with only 14; ten, clarification is needed what is meant by “third country” could enter J&K and PoK on request by Pakistan – does the author mean the US or Russia because the PLA is already present there.      

Propaganda and perception building by the CPC is spearheaded by publication s like China Daily, Global Times, Global Post, Xinhua News Agency and Social Media employing over 3500 journalists at home and abroad in some 170 bureaus. According to a study conducted by Harvard Study in 2016, China fakes 488 million social media posts annually. The CCTV broadcasts world-wide in six languages in conjunction with Radio Beijing singing the CPC tune in 38 languages including 72 overseas stations broadcast. In addition there are some 475 Confucius Institutes around the world.  Chinese companies like Tencent (qq.com), with offices in Delhi and Mumbai, is  rated high on the list of Forbes. The company offers equivalents of Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Microchat, Wizard, Google, Gaming etc and claims on improvement over Twitter and assist in China’s information warfare, moulding perceptions through false propaganda. V-chat, which is equivalent of Whatsapp, is being used in 200 countries. Tencent claims it has nothing to do with the Chinese Government and CPC, which is laughable. Besides, when the US NSA has been snooping globally using Google and Microsft Windows, it is certain that China would be doing similarly – exploiting a company like Tencent.

China has put an iron curtain around the Chinese public but even that does not stop news from filtering out. But what China does not realize is that the world went flat decades back, and China’s tentacles protruding outwards don’t come under her iron country. Reports have been coming past several months about presence of PLA troops in Gilgit-Baltistan, including Chinese soldiers protecting the Highway (read CPEC) in civilian trucks with themselves dressed in civilian attire. Perhaps the Chinese and their  protégés, Pakistani hierarchy, take the local Baltis as fools who will not catch up with the game being played. Going by one report, about a brigade worth of PLA is already present in Gilgit-Baltistan area. Locals are not permitted to go anywhere close to where the development work is being undertaken. There is good reason for this because under the pretext of development work like hydel projects, tunnels are being done for housing weapon systems. According to one estimate, presently there are some 4,00,000 Chinese nationals pan-Pakistan, including 25,000 in Islamabad alone and another 20,000 Chinese expats are expected in Pakistan over the next five years. Without doubt the PLA is already present in Gwadar as well, this being the norm for all Chinese development projects globally.

So Long Xingchun should understand that he and his bosses don’t fool anybody by saying a “Third Country’ could enter Kashmir. Not wearing uniforms does not mask PLA presence. For India it should not make a difference whether the rats are black (as terrorists are) or yellow in case of conflict. As for the threat to enter J&K, the Chinese intentions have already been made apparent by appearance of PLA soldiers on Pakistani posts along the LoC and discovery of Chinese flags at Baramula. But surely Indian policy planners have taken into account every contingency.  Finally, does Xingchun know that PLA entered Shaksgam Valley in 1963 and it is part of Kashmir – what a pity this fellow heads the Centre for Indian Studies at an ‘abnormally normal’ university?