China Mocking Pussy Footers



Lt Gen (Retd) Prakash Katoch.



In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereignty or nation. A person who commits treason is known in law as a traitor. By another definition, it means disloyalty or treachery to one’s country or its government. But in a country like India, how do you classify a Foreign Minister who describes an officially accepted 19 kilometre deep intrusionat Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) inside Indian Territory as “these things keep happening”? The Defence Minister consoles more himself than the nation in saying, “India will take every step to protect its interests.” Then, on 27 April (12 days after the intrusion) the Prime Minister tells reporters, “We have a plan …… it is a localized ….. ‘I think’ talks are going on”. So that is the importance given to the intrusion – Prime Minister does not know for certain whether talks are going on ! How the emperors clothes will be stitched as per ‘this’ plan is anybody’s guess but one of the master chefs (gaffe king Home Minister) has spilled the beans already in saying that this is ‘no man’s land’ and we have no jurisdiction over it, clearly referring to DBO area. Two things are very clear : one, that the government just could not care if Ladakh goes away to China-Pakistan because population being small with no vote-bank, it is not worth bothering; two, there is no plan aside from bending backwards to China (as is being done with Pakistan) as long as the government can win the next election and present incumbents keep their backsides in saddle – nation and territory be damned. The plan will be mulled over further with media reporting that Salman Khurshid has been directed by Sonia Gandhi to meet Natwar Singh to get more lessons in diplomacy. Natwar Singh may not be able to teach diplomacy to Salman but surely can advise him on trade, having profited so much through oil despite claiming he has never seen an oil barrel. Final touches to the ‘plan’ can be visualized in Salman acquiescing to whatever the Chinese want when visiting Beijing in May. Going by Shinde’s statement, such an assessment should be fairly accurate. Although the Army Chief meeting and briefing the Defence Minister on 25^th April (10 days after the intrusion) was reported in media, there has been no report of any meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on the issue with the three Service Chiefs in attendance. But then why should the CCS meet when the issue is localized and government has a ‘plan’ which Salman will finalize in Beijing? Meanwhile, the public can be told ‘we are monitoring and reading up on strategy’:

 

Assertions by Manmohan Singh and Salman Khurshid that the intrusion is ‘localized’ are hollow. Every unit and every formation of the PLA is posted with Political Commissars who report directly to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).  Such is their control that promotion of PLA officers is contingent upon the report by the Political Commissar. The PLA Chief himself reports directly to the CCP and not the Chinese Government. Under such a set up where is the question of a local PLA commander on his own establishing a platoon 19 kilometres deep inside Indian Territory? The Foreign Minister’s statement “these things keep happening” itself is absurd when  MEA is admitting that this PLA platoon is sitting way beyond even the Chinese perception of the LAC. The MEA has full details of Chinese perception of the LAC, which has been the basis of ongoing border talks. The Defence Minister has acknowledged that there were 400 transgressions by the PLA during 2012. These, as well as similar transgressions in previous years could perhaps be categorized as transgressions because of “their perception of LAC” but certainly not what has happened at DBO. Latter is a deliberate and wanton intrusion by the Chinese, which really cannot be passed off as “these things keep happening”.  

Surprisingly, no one queried the government why it took 10 day after the intrusion to acknowledge that the Chinese were 19 kilometres deep inside Indian Territory. The initial reports of an intrusion 10 kilometres deep were obviously leaked to soften the blow to the public. The 19 kilometre admission was when the media talked about a 30 kilometres intrusion and became impossible to remain silence. But is the intrusion actually 19 kilometres deep?   Wikipedia describes two points denoting northern extremities of undivided Kashmir State as Dafdar in Taghdumbash Pamir near Beyik Pass (bordering Wakhan Corridor) and Karakoram Pass (bordering Xinjiang in China), giving precise coordinates. Therefore, the penetration of the intrusion must be measured from the northeastern extremity of J&K – Karakoram Pass, as should be apparent from the map below that has appeared in the media:

From the above, it should be amply clear that the government is telling a blatant lie in saying that the intrusion is only 19 kilometres deep. What they have done is very conveniently measured the distance for the nearest possible point from Aksai Chin (already under illegal occupation of China). What then is the point in thumping the table in Parliament and passing successive resolutions that J& K is an integral part of India and that we will not let any territory cede. Does AK Anthony and his Defence Secretary have any answers? Anthony himself is culpable in bringing the military-industrial complex to such a sorry state and making hollow statements that all possible modernization of the military will be ensured while denying modernization by banning firms after considerable time has been spent on acquisition process, without alternative sources of procurement and enormous loss of time. 

It is surprising that the Prime Minister has not deemed it fit to address the nation on this crisis. Surely he could not be scared, the standard response being “we have the numbers”. So, if you are not scared about your seat or the elections then is the fright about possibility of the contents of the statement angering the Chinese? If Shri Shinde says that we have no jurisdiction over DBO then what business does he have in the first place as Home Minister to talk about the area? Why are the Foreign Minister and Prime Minister so dumbstruck? Is there a bigger diabolical plan in the offing? It is no secret that the Track II India-Pakistan dialogue recommending withdrawal from Siachen was with the blessings of the NSA under instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office, ensuring none of the numerous meetings were held in India least the public gets whiff of what was cooking. Despite the public outrage once the plot was leaked, the issue would have been progressed were it not for the India delegation leader getting caught in the Westland Helicopter Scam. Then you had the so called government interlocuters whose report is yet to be made public. Since they were enjoying their foreign trips on behest of the now famous Ghulam Mohammed Fai, you can surmise how much their report would be in favour of Pakistan. They did try to defend themselves by saying their foreign trips were on behest of the Government of India but when the concerned ministries were sent an RTI on the issue, all of them denied that they had ordered for funded these trips.

Tarun Vijay wrote recently in Times of India quoting Ladakhi people that for the first time Indian Tricolor was not allowed to be hoisted in open at Demchhok in Eastern Ladakh, where every year Independence Day is celebrated.
Chinese Army Personnel have also forced development work stopped in border village Koyul in Leh. In a communication to divisional commissioner, Srinagar (Kashmir), the DC Leh wrote on 22nd August, 2012, “work is being executed on the bonafide Indian side and the Chinese have no locus standi on the land which belongs to the people of Koyul. Besides, large chunk of an un-irrigated land to the tune of 400 hectares could be converted into pasture area as most of the nomads are dependent on their live-stocks and their main earning is by sale of raw Pashmina wools'. The letter to DC Srinagar by DC Leh clearly mentions, 'The contractors and the labourers have been reportedly threatened by the Chinese security personnel numbering 15-16 on 12th July, 2012. These Chinese personnel were reportedly carrying weapons with them and asked them to abandon the civil works in progress, although it was an ongoing scheme under BADP.' Why are Manmohan, Khurshid, Anthony and Shinde mum and permitting this? Are they ‘with’ the Chinese or are they too petrified? Can they get rid of their bangles? Is this the reason of getting gaffe expert Shinde to make the statement of ‘no man’s land’ so that no further explanation is required? Is the next step going to be withdrawal from Siachen and eastern Ladakh followed by Arunachal?

Amazing to see media reports being orchestrated to still project the sublime nature of China; ASSOCHAM deducing China will never be the aggressor because of its bilateral trade with India. Mind you neither ASSOCHAM nor FICCI has any concrete suggestions to rectify the gross imbalance in favour of China. Apparently, they also fail to notice the manner in which this trade is shutting down Indian small scale industries (reminds you of British East India Company), and what plans China has for Taiwan despite China-Taiwan bilateral trade volume of a magnitude that would put our under $100 bllion annual trade with China to shame.

DBO lies astride the old silk route leading to Karakoram Pass (KK Pass), that goes beyond to Yarkand in China. Should the Chinese not vacate DBO, it would hinder the ITBP patrolling the KK Pass. There are already conflicting reports of the periodicity of patrolling the KK Pass, when was the last time they did so and whether the Chinese are already sitting on the reverse slopes, ready to make an appearance to surprise the vacillatingly unclear political hierarchy of India yet again. This apart, it would be possible for DBO being used as a base to threaten the route to Siachen Base Camp that feeds the Northern and Central Glaciers on the Saltoro Range.   Chinese occupation of DBO would turn the flanks of the Indian defences on Saltoro Range – similar to Chinese claims to Doklam Plateau in Bhutan whose occupation by Chinese would turn the flanks of Indian Defences in East Sikkim, particularly in area of Tri Junction. During Operation ‘Vijay’ in 1999, China quietly developed a road in eastern Aksai Chin towards DBO, significance of which was apparently glossed over and has resulted in flux in the situation at Demchok on account of Chinese incursions and claims. Google imagery of 2006 shows an extraordinary large scale (1:500) terrain model extensively duplicating eastern Aksai Chin built close to Yinchuan (capital of Ningxia Autonomous Region). The 3,000 × 2,300 feet model is being used for tank war-games – in preparation of a future battle in Eastern Ladakh / North Sikkim? In 2012, China called upon Japan and South Korea to establish astronomical observatories in Aksai Chin, in apparent bid to consolidate its hold on the region.

The fact is that is that the intrusion at DBO is perhaps the most serious physical challenge to our sovereignty posed by China after 1962. The intrusion is deliberate, 30 kilometres deep and has adverse strategic implications for India and Ladakh in particular. The psychological challenge, if not responded adequately, will further dent India’s image and make us the laughing stock of the world. From what has been described above, another country would have put those responsible on trial for treason. The least Manmohan and coterie can do is shed their meekness and stand up to the challenge. Don’t you feel ashamed even when Pakistan treats you like dirt – latest being the Sarabjit affair? Tell us what your plan is to guard the sovereignty of the country. Why has the intrusion happened at DBO 14 years after Kargil in the first place? What does Shinde’s latest remark about DBO mean? Is the plan to abandon the area or has Shinde only put his foot in his mouth again? Putting your troops in front of the Chinese intrusion is no plan because by doing so you are ceding 30 kilometres of territory. Do you have the guts to put your troops behind the Chinese intrusion in what is our own territory, or occupy a similar advanced position in another sector? Despite the fact that government returned 93,000 Pakistani prisoners from the 1971 war without bothering to secure the 5000 Indian military prisoners languishing in Pakistani jails, rest assured the military will not fail you. You just need to stop wearing bangles despite your obsessions. The nation requires answers and the nation requires real leaders not pussy footers who can be mocked at by all and sundry!

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The writer is an acknowledged military strategist, having retired after commanding India's most coveted strike Corps and first hand experience of Siachen imbroglio.  He is also one of India's highest decorated Generals and, having been a para commando wears many combat wounds, honours and awards.