Special Dispatch No. 3772—South Asia Studies Project/Pakistan/Kashmir/India
Kashmiri Writer Examines the Strategic Implications of China's Military Presence in Kashmir Region
In February and March 2011, Kashmiri writer Dr. Shabir Choudhry delivered two lectures in the British parliament on the issue of China's growing role in Gilgit Baltistan, an ethnically different region that has been traditionally considered as part of Jammu & Kashmir state. The state of Jammu & Kashmir is divided between Pakistan and India by a Line of Control (LoC), with the Pakistan-administered Kashmir known as Azad (Free) Jammu & Kashmir.
The first lecture, 'Gilgit Baltistan – The Emergence of China,' was delivered on February 11, 2011 at a seminar in the House of Lords of the British parliament. The second lecture, 'Gilgit Baltistan – A Battleground for Future War,' was delivered in the House of Commons of the British parliament, organized by the Democracy Forum on March 31, 2011.
In both lectures, Dr. Shabir Choudhry addressed the implications of China's increasing presence in Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistani Kashmir, and the likelihood that the region could emerge as a battleground for confrontation between China and Pakistan on one side and India and the United States on the other. In the lectures, he also presented the findings of a survey conducted by a team he led to Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistani Kashmir in October 2010. His team's visit came at a time there are international media reports revealing the presence of more than 11,000 Chinese troops in Gilgit Baltistan.
To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5212.htm.
Special Dispatch No. 3771—Saudi Arabia
Saudi Daily: China Cannot Be a Major Global Player Yet Expect Immunity From Censure
In an editorial titled "Power and Prejudice," the Saudi English-language daily Arab News stated that China "cannot be a major player on the international stage and expect immunity from censure."
The following is the editorial, in the original English.
"Absolute Sovereignty... Is a Myth – And Rightfully So, If There Is To Be Any Morality in International Affairs"
"The Chinese government has lashed out at international criticism of its arrest of the outspoken artist Ai Weiwei. The rest of the world has 'no right to interfere' in what is an internal issue, it says.
"There is nothing new about such outbursts. Whenever there is adverse comment about human rights abuses in the country or about Tibet or the subjugation of the Uigars in Xinjiang province, Beijing rushes to pontificate about sovereignty, internal affairs and foreign interference."
To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5211
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