Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-09-15
By RICHARD CRITCHFIELD

& = star Special Writer
RAWALPNDI, Pakistan.-
Red China's success In exploit
ing Parkistan's quarrel with
India has clearly exposed to
both governments how much
the quarrel weakens each and
lays the entire sub-continent
open to foreign Intervention.
- But neither PaKlstan nor In
dia. paralyzed by bitterness over
the disputed vale Of Kashmir
and swayed by historically
rooted religious suspicious Of
Their Muslin and Hindu ma
'Jorities. appears able to do
much about Il.
Both President Ayub Khan
and Prime Minister Nehru
i, agree that their single most
important long-term interest Is
the good viii Of the others ma
ton.
Yet neither Nation seems
able to cut through the thicket
Of real and imagined griev-
ances that have grown up in the
10 years since the sub-conti-
nent was partitioned.
At the same time, there Is an
increasingly realistic appraisal
In both nations Of Red China's
long-term Intentions to domi-
nate the sub-continent.
In Search Of Balm
Since PekingS great leap
forward" collapsed in 1857 and
Russian friendship cooled to
hostility. Red China has
sought to soothe its severely
wounded pride. One way was to
properly impress the unco m
mitted nations with its power
and might.
That there has been q great
leap backward within China
the past six years is evidenced
by the drop in food consump-
ton to an average Of only 1900
Galleries o day. India's enact
ated millions manage to con-
sumo 1900 calories daily0
Food shortages were set off
by Q stagnation Of grain pro-
duction since 1857 at about 1876
million tons a year, while so
million new mouths to feed
were added to the population.
Industrial production, includ-
ing steel, has plummeted 80 per
cent since 1857.
The resulting wave Of disap-
pointment and diSillusionment
with his Communist regime,
has put pressure on Mao Tse-
tung to provide face-saving di-
4. versions abroad while moving
to restore q tighter rule at
home.
Increased Propaganda
Domestically, he has launched
noisy propaganda campaigns to
raise tagging morale and to
whip up renewed confidence in
his dictatorship.
Like most of his rivals in
Asia, Mr.. Mao faces apathy
and resistance from his rural
population to change. The Chi
l1ese peasant has always want
ed to be left alone to harvest
his rice paddles, enjoy his
family and play nah jong at
the neighborhood tea house. He
feels secure as long as Heaven
IS high and the Emperor is far
away" |
Until the severe economic
setback six years ago, he
blessed the Communist regime
for Kidding him Of the age-old
scourges Of pirates and war
lords, and even showed STIR
'rings Of enthusiastic national
ism.
! Mr.. Mao now faces the dan
ger that his stole people, disil-
,lusioned by the Communist fail
,ures, will withdraw within
themselves and no longer think
in terms Of the Chinese nation
.or its national aspirations.
These aspirations have been
interpreted two ways here.
One is that China really in
tends to conquer the Mongo-
loid-populated Himalayan Dor
der states, midas oil and tea
rich Assam province and the
Southeast Asian countries,
especially Burn a and Thai
land.
Pakistan President Ayub has
called this the "inexorable push
of the north in the direction Of
the warm waters Of the Indian !