XINJIANG UYGHUR ISSUE: FOR UPSC, BPSC, UPPSC EXAM

Historical Background: Xinjiang is a mandarin word which means New frontier. Xinjiang officially called as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is part of the people's Republic of China (PCR). The Aksai chin region, administered by china mostly as a part of Xinjiang, claimed by India which was illegally occupied by China during Indo-Sino war-1962. Xinjiang border with countries like Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan(POK), and India. most part of Xinjiang's is with Karakoram, Tian Shan, Kunlun Shan mountain ranges. Xinjiang is also bordering with Tibet Autonomous Region which again an illegal captured land by china claimed by the Tibet government in exile. 
It is an abode to a number of ethnic groups, including the Turkic Uyghur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz, etc. The whole area is divided into two important segments as, DzungarianBasin in the north and the Tarim Basin in the south which contributes only about 9.7% of land area fit for human habitation.
In 1955, the proposed name of Xinjiang was Xinjiang Autonomous Region, but objection by Saifuddin Aziz, the 1st chairman of this region, the name was carved out as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Xinjiang was originally the habitat of Tocharian and Iranic Saka people who practice Buddhism, but nearly 10 century A.D., Kara-Khaind-Khanate, who captured Kashgar and from here Islamization of this province started.
In 1912, the Qing dynasty replaced by the Republic of China, Yang Zengxin controls Xinjiang until his assassination in 1928. till the 1949 majority of the land was under the control of the Republic of China Kuomintang, in 1949 Peoples Liberation Army entered into Xinjiang, and on 1st October 1955, this province was named as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
In recent time, abundant oil and mineral reserves have been found in Xinjiang and currently china's largest natural gas-producing region.
Why was the Uyghur-China conflict?
This conflict aroused after 1950 when under the state-sponsored program by people Republic of china's, massive migration of Han Chinese take place. The government policies promoting Chinese culture and restraining the Uyghurs to follow their customs, as Uyghurs are in majority and contributing more than 70% of the population, this biased behaviour hurts the sentiments of Uyghur Muslims and lead to continued conflict.
Why this recent topic is trending?
Many media reports reveal that the Chinese government has reportedly detained more than a million Uyghur Muslims in reeducation camps. human rights organisations from every corner of the world, Un officials, and many countries are arguing china to stop the clampdown, but Chinese government avoids by saying their so-called vocational training centre does not infringe on Uyghur's human rights. The Chinese government made all efforts to prevent journalists and foreign investigators for examining their so-called vocational centre, and also they refused to share data and information about the detention centre.
Why are these massive detention?
  Even though many of them do not have any type of criminal charges but they are detained because their crime is being Muslim by the religion. They are labelled as extremists simply for practising their religion.
But china's concerns are related to a variety of reasons-

1. In  July 2014, some government departments in Xinjiang banned Muslim civil servants from fasting during the holy month of Ramzan.
2. Their religious connection with Turkey, Afghanistan and another central Asian country.
3. Attending services at Mosques.
4. Having more than the three children.
5. communicating the text containing Quranic verses.
6. They pursue extremist and separatist ideas.
7. Detained peoples are provided for forced labour by the Chinese authority, which is cheap labour for nearby industries.

Now, due to Chinese government non-transparent on detained information data and human rights violation to Uyghur Muslims in reeducation camps,
What is happening in the detention camps?

1. Detainees impelled to pledge loyalty to the Chinese authority.
2. Forced to repudiates Islam and their customs.
3. Praise communism and learn mandarin.
4. Women have faced sexual abuses and forced to adopt contraceptive devices implanted against their will.

In March 2017, the Xinjiang government passed an anti-extremism law that banned people from growing long beards and wearing veils in public. The Chinese have utterly blamed terrorist attack on the East Turkestan Islamic movements, a separatist group founded by militant Uyghurs in recent decades.
An economic point of view, it is the mainland through which Belt and Road Initiative passes, and government try to eradicate any possibility of separatist activity to continue its development of Xinjiang, which is the home of china's largest coal and natural gas resources.
What is Chinese officials statement about these detention camps?

1. In the earlier phase, the Chinee government refused to the existence of any such camps.
2. Now, the name as reeducation vocational camps that so-called aim is to provide job skills, teaching mandarin language, to aware of Chinese law, and prevent citizens from being influenced by extremist Islam.

To way forwards: Kashgar is a very famous city whose existence from ancient time had been recorded for their natural beauty, art and culture, sculpture, etc. 
Mohammad Iqbal, a famous Urdu poet mention Kashgar city in his poetry- Neel Ke Sahil Se Lekar TabKhak-e- Kashgar.
Here in this poetry, he mentions the city Kashgar due to its ancient incredible culture preserved by their people. for such a thriving culture, to protect humanity and prevent the human rights violations, voices should be of great volume by each people around all corner of the world.