Col Satish Singh Lalotra (Retd)
“Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike”….JK Rolling.
The prophetic sayings of the British philanthropist JK Rolling can never be more true when uttered in respect of indifference and neglect in the present day context of world wide conflict and turmoil.Indian mythological treatises like the Ramayana and Mahabharata are replete with examples wherein a rebuff or indifference exhibited to an important personality resulted into a catastrophe of sorts resulting into miseries all around . Cutting to the present times there are sterling examples of slight and ignorance which abound our country waiting to be exploited by our enemies that are always on the prowl . My interest in penning down this piece of article has been prompted by recent events in the last few months which a right thinking Indian will feel indignant at and will have ramifications beyond our borders. The last summer standoff between the two Asian behemoths of India and China which is still an ongoing military confrontation and counting in terms of men, material and morale has thrown up some very startling facts which sadly instill a sense of “Déjà vu” in all Indians . The most imbibing picture of Déjà vu in the present stand off is the employment of SFF/Est 22 in turning the tables upon the PLA of China on the night of 29/30 th August 2020 when China found itself at its wits end.
Something of a similar nature these Tibetan troops had been accomplishing in the past against the might of PLA while operating from secret bases like “Mustang” and Saipan under the “CIA Tibetan programme” from 1950s till early 1970s but stopped after US President Richard Nixon’s visit to China in early 1970s. Reverting to the present Sino-Indian imbroglio, the Indian army bolstered its physical dominance over a number of strategic heights in eastern Ladakh overlooking several Chinese held positions in the depth areas around south of PangongTso lake area even as corps commanders of rival nations have been doing rounds endlessly to break the logjam which both countries have not witnessed ever since the flare up after the 1967 Nathula /chola skirmishes. “Operation Snow leopard”launched by the IAfirst took control of the high hills of the southern and northern sides of PangongTsolake .Along with this they increased their deployment from where they could monitor the Chinese activities in the depth areas. A special crack team of high altitude warfare qualified persons picked up from the elite SFF formed the core group set out to occupy and take control of peaks viz Black top, Helmet top, Maggar hill , Rezang la, Reqin la etc . Hence in a swift move carried out by the Tibetan troops of SFF an entire swath of 60 to 70 kms south of the PangongTso lake was under their control. This swift operation by the SFF has suddenly catapulted this organization which was cooling its heels in oblivion on to the driver’s seat. Simultaneously the martyring of one of the soldiers of SFF company leader Nyima Tenzin on 30th August 2020 while undertaking patrolling operation during this “Snow leopard” operation has bloodied this highlander organization after decades in a one- on- one confrontation with their arch rivals the Chinese.
As a consequence to the above actions , SFF too was listed one of the recipients of gallantry awards on this republic day.Out of a total of 54 gallantry awards given to the brave hearts on the national day ,only one i.e “Mention in despatches” was awarded to TseringNorbu for his contribution in this operation “Snow leopard”. It is a travesty of justice for an organization which has always been at the forefront of this country’s trials and tribulations when called upon to take up the cudgels. Whether it was in the CHT /Chittagong hill tracts in 1971 war stopping the escape of Pakistan army to Myanmar (Burma) or training the LTTE chief Prabhakaran , to occupying the icy heights of Siachen glacier as “first responders” these Tibetan troops have always been the “standard bearer” for what they represent ..”A true guerrilla force to reckon with”. Numerous unsung Tibetan troops lie quartered in snow on the icy heights of Soltoro ridge having died for a battle which is not even theirs with little or no recognition. The ultimate reason which goaded me for jotting down this article was the non-inclusion of this elite force till date for the last 58 years in the RD Parade and instead giving a lead to foreign contingents like France and Bangladesh .
In fact this 26 January 2021 , the inclusion of SFF in the RD Parade would have been a perfect gesture of gratitude shown by a grateful country (India) towards them for turning the tables against the Chinese in the present Himalayan standoff.But did it happen? Why does this country have a tradition of turning its back on the very people which helped it tide over crisis after crisis . In fact under the garb of a secret force away from the prying eyes of the world we have done more damage to the prestige and morale of SFF rather than boosting them in their own eyes as well as the world at large.Even after spending more than 58 years in India ,this Tibetan community as well as SFF are still categorized as ‘Foreign nationals” with no Indian nationality granted to them by successive central govts irrespective of party affiliations . Contrary to this, lakhs of Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals are masquerading as Indian nationals in this subcontinent of ours by adopting dubious means.
In fact contrary to the lakhs of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya population, the Tibetans in India are witnessing a drastic fall in their numbers from approximately 1.5 lakhs to about 85000 as per the latest GOI data. Majority of Tibetans are fast migrating to US, UK, Canada, Germany and Scandinavian countries in search of greener pastures due to disillusionment set in by the Indian dispensations for short changing them led from Nehru till date. As stated above, their stateless status notwithstanding even in army circles ,these Tibetans are considered as pariah with no health and medical facilities granted to them by the GOI since they come under the ambit of a paramilitary force with no dedicated hospitals at their command. Even in matters of pay and pension ,this elite force had to fight a tooth and nail battle in the various high courts of India to get them their rightful due . Be that as it may ,the above vicissitudes of their fate have not dampened the “never say die attitude” of this organization ,but it’s a wakeup call for the mandarins of power sitting in Delhi to get their act together and measure up to the requirements and aspirations of this highlander force lest this magnificent manpower as a force multiplier is lost for ever . More than the loss of face for India for not standing up to the ideals of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbkum”(world is a one big family) what India has not factored in are a plethora of reasons which if put in motion by this community can be a real nightmare . Shall endeavor to tackle them one by one . The very fact that the Tibetans have till now displayed an unflinching loyalty towards the country of their foster motherland (India) should not be taken as a gospel truth in future too. Tibetans have been living in India for close to now 60 years with a tag of stateless identity hanging around their necks making them a potential handle to beat India with by its new detractors viz Nepal and Bangladesh.
As if this was not enough ,all along the Himalayan frontier from Ladakh till Tezu in Arunachal, India has many TRCs (Tibetan refugee camps) where the living conditions are pathetic with nothing to boast about. These TRCs can act as spring boards for dissatisfied elements of Tibetan people ,since a large socially disadvantaged section of international society always living on the fringe is like a floating mass which can be easily sucked into a societal vacuum ready as ever to be exploited.
The very basis of formation of SFF being a covert special forces organization ,it doesn’t take much for a role reversal for the same personnel to act as “fifth columnists” against India if not taken seriously by the host country. Having served with this elite organization and commanded them in the most hostile of country’s landscape vizSiachen glacier and Arunachal I dare say that nowhere else in today’s world would you find such a dedicated force of another country giving so selflessly for the country of its adoption. Time is running out fast for India to give a belated recognition to the unsung heroes of Tibet lest we repent at leisure for having wasted such an excellent force multiplier at our disposal . India in fact should take a leaf out of its past colonial past when in the early and mid 19th century the Tibetan lamas were abundantly used as scouts, guides, surveyors , and points men on the high Himalayan ridges by the British to sniff any Russian advance across the Himalayas as part of the “Great Game”. The same “Great Game” is in vogue today albeit in a different format with a little bit of change of players . High time India jumps into the fray again with its original players viz the Tibetans to stay on top of the “Great Game”.
slalotra4729@gmail.com
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