KINGSHIP FOR ENGLISHMAN

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1934, Page 7

KINGSHIP FOR ENGLISHMAN

NEW PROVINCE OF ISLAMESTAN. ACCEPTANCE NOT YET DECIDED. By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Calcutta, April 11. Dr. Khalid Sheldrake, an Englishman who has been a Moslem since 1903, and who recently visited Sinkiang, near the Russian border, has been invited to become King of Sinkiang, whence the Chinese have been driven by the new Turki (Moslem) Government. His wife has been invited to be Queen. After three months’ existence the province has been renamed Islamestan. Dr. Sheldrake is at present at Hyderabad, and is more interested in securing converts to Islam. He is undecided whether to accept the offer of kingship. Sinkiang extends from West Mongolia to West Tibet. There are three passes to the west and two into India, trade with India being chiefly by way of the Karakoram Pass. The climate has great extremes of heat and cold. In the Kashgar and Yarkand valleys the fertile soils are irrigated. Cereals, fruits, vegetables, cotton, wool and silk are exported and jade and gold are worked. The area is 550,340 square miles and the population, which is mixed, is about 1,500,000. Last summer a join Moslem force of Tungan and Turki tribesmen succeeded in driving out the Chinese officials and garrison from Old Kashgar, the capital of the province. After their victory, however, the allies quarrelled, and the Tungans were besieged by the Turkis in the citadel of New Kashgar. At the same time they established an independent republic with a President, a Cabinet, and a flag. From last November until the beginning of February the sole activity of the Turki Government seems to have consisted in attempting to storm the citadel of New Kashgar. The beleagured Tungans held out, and, after a time, became confident enough to sally forth and attack the Turkis.

Finally, on February 6 (according to a Government of India communique), the Tungans captured Old Kashgar. The Turki President and his Prime Minister and the whole Cabinet fled, and the city was surrendered to the Tungans without a fight