Phalgun Krushna Dwitiya, Kaliyug Varsha 5111
By Dina Nath Mishra
Sixty years back, Mao Tse Tung captured an entire debate by force. India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru accepted Chinese sovereignty over Tibet as a result of which the buffer State vanished and China became our immediate neighbour. Nehru acceded to this despite several Ministers, including Sardar Patel, protesting. Now, Tibet, Nepal and Sikkim are linked through roads. A direct link has also been established between Nepal and China. One can imagine the consequences that may follow.
Although the internal status of Tibet remained unaffected during World War I, in the post-War years, the Dalai Lama was challenged by Panchan Lama with an aim to head Tibet. Panchan Lama fled to the court of China in 1930. The Chinese National Government in Nanjing made a renewed effort to improve the position of Panchan Lama with respect to Tibet. In 1934, after the death of the 13th Dalai Lama, a mission was sent by the Tibetan National Government to convey condolences and restore official relations. Five years later, the son of a Chinese-speaking family of the ‘Amdo’ tribe in the province of Shanghai was found by the Lama’s regents to be an incarnation of the Dalai Lama. A Chinese mission was sent from Nanjing to the Amdo tribe in 1940 to supervise the new Dalai’s institution in the 1947 Assembly. In 1947, a delegation from Lhasa participated in drafting the Chinese constitution and election of the President. After establishment of the Communist People’s Republic of China, the Tibetan frontier fortresses troops were captured with unprecedented unity and power. In Peking, on May 23, 1951, an agreement provided for absorption of the Tibetan army for eight years. Tibet was nominally ruled by a committee of 18 Tibetans with Dalai Lama as the chairman. Meanwhile Panchan Lama returned to his seat in 1952.
In 1959, Dalai Lama left Tibet with tens of thousand of his compatriots. It is said that the CIA played a big role in Dalai Lama’s escape. Followers of Dalai Lama staged a rebellion and even launched a guerrilla operation. Now after more than half a century, the perception of world power has changed, especially since China looks and behaves like a superpower.
It not only advised the Indian government to not allow Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh but also suggested that the highest authority of India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, should not go in for elections in Arunachal Pradesh. According to China, the area belongs to it. Chinese authorities even objected to the recent visit of Dalai Lama to Arunachal. And what was the argument? China claimed that Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Nepal are its fingers and Tibet its palm. This is the historic proof that Mao placed for his expansionist desires. China even wanted to dictate to the US and asked it not to invite the Dalai Lama to White House.
I have a feeling that a third World War may come sooner than later. And Chinese authorities would be responsible for it. Often, war erupts in a situation like it is now. Dalai Lama is head of a Government in exile with no arms and army. It is China which chose this enemy, probably the weakest, but also the strongest in terms of equations and alignments. As far as India is concerned, its experts have estimated that there are all possibilities of an Sino-Indian war by 2012. The Chinese encirclement of India has matured. There is a high pitched propaganda going around the world that China is the mightiest country and the No 1 superpower.
China always reminds us of 1962. Threatening as it may be, it is not potent. One must remember that Pakistan supported by big world powers has been miserably defeated four times. And one of the historic defeats was on the Bangladesh front where 93,000 armymen surrendered. It was a world record.
Today, war has changed technologically. Electronic warfare is a different game altogether. There are powers more superior than China. China has yet to establish itself in new war technology. Not only the US, but at least four more powerful countries are technologically bigger than China. A Chinese expert and a friend opined that China’s first priority is to be the No 1 economic power.
As far as India is concerned, recognised or unrecognised, its nuclear power in addition to its missile power is in no way second to China. I have seen comparisons being made by China in this field, but it too conceded that India has enough missile muscle. China’s claims for diplomatic use of language are made so that it may have an edge. But that doesn’t matter. During the Cold War years, we saw diplomatic warfare of two superpowers — the Soviet Union and the US.
Source: Daily Pioneer