Attempts to sabotage PAK-CHINA Collaboration

Pakistan must neutralise propaganda

USA and its western allies are scared of the phenomenal economic progress of China and the military power that goes with it. The US and its western allies consider China as a potential threat to their commercial and strategic interests around the world and therefore are relentlessly engaged in covert and overt actions to pursue their ‘ contain china’ policy.  They are trying to prop up India as a counterweight to China in South Asia. They are also wary of growing economic and military ties between China and Pakistan. No wonder then that the US and India are deadly against CPEC and are doing everything possible to sabotage the project. India reportedly has created a special cell in RAW to sabotage CPEC. The arrest of Kalbhushan Yadav and his confessions tell the whole story.

Pakistani leaders, both civilian and military of late have been voicing their concern about some countries trying to undermine CPEC and have expressed their unflinching resolve to implement CPEC at any cost. The US and western countries have even been trying to drive a wedge between Pakistan and China against whom apart from the usual covert operations, they have also been using the western media to malign her, especially on the issue of human rights, incessantly.

Stories about differences between China and Pakistan on acts of terrorism in Xinjiang province have often been circulated insinuating that China was not happy over Pakistan’s inability to control the movement of terrorists from their safe havens in Pakistan to the troubled province. But they have failed to impact relations between the two countries which have now attained dizzying heights after their partnership in implementing CPEC.

Of late, there is a visible change in tactics. The western media is now trying to play on the religious sensitivities of Muslims, particularly the people of Pakistan, to paint China in dismal colours propagating that the Muslims in Xinjiang province were banned from fasting during month of Ramadan. It is quite intriguing to note that UK newspapers, Daily Mail, The Independent and Indian NDTV have recently come up with stories in this regard. These stories have also been picked up by some newspapers in Pakistan. The fact is that efforts of Chinese government to deal with terrorists elements in Xinjiang with an iron hand like Pakistan is doing against TTP, are misconstrued as oppression against the Ulghur Muslim minority and curbs on their religious freedom. Terrorists have no religion and China like Pakistan is fully justified in dealing with the phenomenon the way it deems necessary. In fact Pakistan supports Chinese actions in this regard and is working hand in hand with her to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from the region.

Perhaps a cursory glance over the history of Xinjiang and the relations between different religious communities over the centuries and since the establishment of Peoples Republic is imperative to know the ground realities. The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, located in Northwest China has been multi-ethnic and multi-religious entity comprising Muslims, Bhudists, Christians both Protestants and Catholics etc. The history of co-existence between these religious groups and ethic entities has been marred by inter-religious conflicts and sectarian clashes within the same religious group. However since the establishment of People’s Republic of China in 1949, the situation in regards to harmony among different religious groups has stabilized as both the central government and the local governments at all levels have implemented a system of regional ethnic autonomy and freedom of religious belief through a continuous process of reforms in laws and regulations in regards to administration of religious affairs.

The constitution of People’s Republic of China with respect to religious freedoms unequivocally stipulates” No state organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in or not to believe in any religion” The state protects normal religious activities making it clear that no one may make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt public order, impair health of citizens or interfere with the educational system of the state. These principles are enshrined in the regulations on religious affairs promulgated by the State Council of China and the regulations of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The law protects religious activities including attending religious services, fasting worshipping Bhudda, praying, preaching, reciting scriptures, burning incense, attending mass, being baptized or ordained, holding memorial ceremonies and celebrating religious festivals that the believers conduct at venues for religious activities.

As is evident from the foregoing, there is complete religious freedom for all religions in Xinjiang province. As far as Muslims are concerned, it is pertinent to mention that the Xinjiang government every year arranges chartered flights for Muslims intending to perform pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca. According to knowledgeable sources, there are thousands of mosques in as well as religious colleges in the Xinjiang province where Muslim students get religious education.  A cousin, who has business interests in Xinjiang and frequently visits the autonomous region, corroborated the foregoing facts.  My interaction with some other people who have been frequently visiting Xinjiang beyond, an iota of doubt made me to draw the inference that whatever the western media and the Indian outlets were saying about religious freedoms in Xinjiang, particularly ban on fasting, was a mischievous and false propaganda.

The intent and purpose of this nefarious ploy can be better understood in the backdrop of the emerging anti-China collusion between the USA and India, particularly the statement of the Indian Prime Minister while addressing the US Congress that the Indian activities in the Indian Ocean were in the benefit of USA. India is being propped up as a counter-weight to China in South Asia and Asia Pacific. In this regard discernible attempts are being made to disrupt the Chinese vision and efforts to change the economic profile of the region and beyond through a new philosophy of partnership with the regional countries, while expanding its commercial interests dictated and necessitated by its meteoric rise in its economic power. CPEC in particular is an eye sore for them.

While the government of Pakistan is determined to thwart nefarious designs of the enemies to sabotage CPEC and the attempts to create a kink in its relations with China, it is also imperative for the Pakistani media to expose the motives of powers inimical to the new partnership between Pakistan and China as well as to neutralise their negative and poisonous propaganda to stir anti-China feelings among the people of Pakistan and the Muslims in general.