While India has all along been stressing upon resolving border disputes, if any, with China through dialogue and mutual understanding, the five weeks’ stand-off in Ladakh’s Galvan valley where process of returning to the original positions and to maintain status-quo ante was inching towards encouraging levels, Chinese troops resorted to sudden unprovoked clashes with Indian troops resulting in the martyrdom of our soldiers. The attack seems to have been pre-planned as some Chinese soldiers armed with iron rods suddenly attacked an Army Colonel resulting in his martyrdom. Strange as it sounds, Chinese are reported to have used stones and iron rods in the attack while no shootouts took place. Post physical attack, Indian soldiers retaliated and Chinese soldiers, as a result, also suffered casualties and Global Times, a mouthpiece of administration in Beijing puts the figures of their dead at five and 11 soldiers injured.
The efforts to get calm and previous position at the LAC revisited, thus got weakened with this sudden “violent face-off”. True to its policy of employing illusive tactics, while on the one hand expressing desire to resolving disputes by means of talks and dialogue, on the other hand, it tries to flex its muscles perhaps still nursing the hangover of 1962 aggression where it gained chiefly and solely on account of resorting to deception, raining surprises, betrayal and treachery while chanting “Friendship with India”. This time, a changed and strong India has firmly decided to call Chinese bluff and resist any of the misadventures, Chinese were up to in Eastern Ladakh. India, it may be reiterated stands to its ground firmly at Galwan valley in Ladakh.
However, India has diplomatically but very strongly reacted and responded to the Chinese provocation and asserted that China departed from the consensus reached earlier (on June 6) and that it attempted to unilaterally alter the status quo position. The Ministry of External Affairs, in its statement has further clarified that the clashes could have been avoided had China followed the protocol. It conveyed to China in unambiguous manner that given its responsible approach to border management, India was very clear that all its (developmental) activities were carried out within Indian side of the LAC. “We expect the same from the Chinese side”, the statement further read.
Why should the Chinese at all move its warfare inventory like rushing in artillery guns, infantry combat vehicles, its heavy troops deployment and other heavy military equipment on the LAC unless it had some planning of creating sensational mischief on the LAC. India has been watching such unpleasant developments and making matching preparations to secure our borders and national pride. That message having reached China in no uncertain terms changes the entire scenario in comparison to some past occasions when such postures by China remained perhaps not resisted fully.
It may be recalled that it is the first incident involving casualty of three Indian soldiers in a violent clash with the Chinese Army after 1975 when four Indian soldiers were killed in an ambush. While need of the hour is that both the sides are expected to tread cautiously and work amicably to diffuse the situation in which India has always taken a lead as the country being committed to peace and tranquillity on the borders and settle perceived differences through dialogue, at the same time it expects the other side also to be sincere and honest and never behave as it happened on the night of June 15. Diplomacy and talks should extensively be used to de-escalate the present stand-off and restore previous position on the LAC. At the same time, China has to adequately “adjust itself” with the changed scenario and appreciate that development works of any hue going on in Indian side of the LAC could not be halted or altered as that amounted to interfering in the right to use its territory as deemed fit by a sovereign independent and important country like India. Any type of misadventure to browbeat or interfere with would definitely be responded to very firmly which should be noted by the Chinese.
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