New Delhi: Disclosing that as of now the Chinese side has mobilized a large number of troops and armaments along the LAC as well as in the depth areas, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh categorically told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that “we are facing a challenge in Ladakh”. He urged the House to pass a resolution in support of the Armed Forces “who have been defending our motherland at great heights and most inclement weather conditions in Ladakh for our safety and security”. He said this was a time “when this “august House has to come together and reiterate confidence and faith in the valour of the brave armed forces and support them in the mission that they have undertaken to protect the territorial integrity of our motherland”.
Singh informed that there were several “friction areas in Eastern Ladakh including Gogra, Kongka La and North and South Banks of the Pangong Lake”. He said it was clear from these events that the Chinese actions reflected a disregard of the various bilateral agreements between the two countries. “The amassing of the troops by China goes against the 1993 and 1996 Agreements,” Singh said. He added: “Respecting and strictly observing the Line of Actual Control is the basis for peace and tranquility in the border areas and explicitly recognized in both 1993 and 1996 agreements. While our armed forces abide scrupulously by it, this has not been reciprocated by the Chinese side. Their actions have led to face-offs and frictions from time to time along the LAC.”
He said while the agreements have detailed procedures and norms to deal with the situation of face-offs, in the recent incidents, this year, the violent conduct of Chinese forces had been in complete violation of all mutually agreed norms.
Singh referred to the June 15 face-off between Indian and Chinese armies in Galwan Valley when Col Santosh Babu, who along with his 19 brave soldiers, made the supreme sacrifice in the cause of defending the territorial integrity of India. He said that even as discussions were going on, the Chinese side again engaged in provocative military manoeuvers on the night of 29th and 30th August in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake. “But yet again, timely and firm actions by our armed forces along the LAC prevented such attempts from succeeding.”
He said: “Before I apprise the House of the current developments, let me inform that the Government has an elaborate and time tested coordination mechanism amongst different intelligence agencies including intelligence units of the Central Police Forces and the three armed forces. The technical and human intelligence is continuously gathered in a well coordinated manner. It is shared with the armed forces which help them in taking decisions.”
Singh described the situation this year as “very different” both in terms of scale of troops involved and the number of friction points, from situations of prolonged stand-offs with China in the border areas in the past “which have been resolved peacefully”. He said the situation now was “still an ongoing situation” that “obviously” involved sensitive operational issues. “I would, therefore, not be able to give more details in public and I am confident about the understanding of the House in this regard,” he said. At the same time, he asserted: “I can assure you that the morale and motivation of our Armed Forces is very high. The reassuring visit by our PM has ensured that our commanders and soldiers understand that the entire nation stands behind them in support of the just cause of defending our territorial integrity. They are accordingly being provisioned with suitable clothing, habitat and the required defence wherewithal. The determination of our troops is praise worthy. They are capable of serving at forbidding altitudes with scarce oxygen and in extremely cold temperatures, something that they have effortlessly done over the last many years on Siachen, and Kargil.
The Defence Minister said in response to China’s actions, Indian armed forces had also made appropriate counter deployments in these areas to ensure that India’s security interests are fully protected. He said this rapid deployment by Indian armed forces including ITBP had taken place in a challenging time of COVID-19. “Their efforts need to be appreciated,” he said, adding that this could also be made possible by the high importance that the Government had placed for developing border infrastructure in the last few years. .
Singh though affirmed India’s commitment to the peaceful resolution of the current situation, but at the same time assured the House that India remain prepared to deal with all contingencies. “While no one should doubt our determination to safeguard our borders, India believes that mutual respect and mutual sensitivity are the basis for peaceful relations with neighbours. As we want to resolve the current situation through dialogue, we have maintained diplomatic and military engagement with the Chinese side. In these discussions, we have maintained the three key principles that, determine our approach: (i) both sides should strictly respect and observe the LAC; (ii) neither side should attempt to alter the status quo unilaterally; and (iii) all agreements and understandings between the two sides much be fully abided by in their entirety,” he said.
Referring to the meeting between him and the Chinese Defence Minister in Moscow on September 4, Singh said he had an in-depth dialogue with his Chinese counterpart wherein he conveyed “in clear terms our concerns related to the actions of the Chinese side, including amassing of large number of troops, their aggressive behavior and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo that were in violation of the bilateral agreements”. He further added: “I also made it clear that even as we wanted to peacefully resolve the issue and would like the Chinese side to work with us, there should also be no doubt about our determination to protect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
On September 10, India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar too had met his Chinese counterpart in Moscow and reached an agreement which, according to Singh, if implemented sincerely and faithfully by the Chinese side, could lead to complete disengagement and restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas.
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The Defence Minister said over the last many decades, China had undertaken significant infrastructure construction activity that enhanced their deployment capabilities in the border areas. “However, in response, our Government too has stepped up the budget for border infrastructure development to about double the previous levels. As a result, more roads and bridges have been completed in the border areas. This has not only provided much needed connectivity to the local population, but has also provided better logistical support for our armed forces, enabling them to be more alert in the border areas and respond more effectively where required. In the coming years too, the Government remains committed to this objective,” he said.
Giving details of the build up in Eastern Ladakh, Singh said since April, India had noticed a buildup of troops and armaments by the Chinese side in the border areas adjacent to Eastern Ladakh. In early May, the Chinese side had taken action to hinder the normal, traditional patrolling pattern of our troops in the Galwan Valley area, which resulted in a face-off. Even as this situation was being addressed by the Ground Commanders as per the provisions of our bilateral agreements and protocol, in mid-May the Chinese side made several attempts to transgress the LAC in other parts of the Western Sector. This included Kongka La, Gogra and North Bank of Pangong Lake. These attempts were detected early and consequently responded to appropriately by our armed forces.
“We made it clear to the Chinese side both through diplomatic and military channels that China was, by such actions, attempting to unilaterally alter the status quo. It was categorically conveyed that this was unacceptable,” Singh said.
Given the growing friction along the LAC, the Senior Commanders of the two sides in a meeting on June 6, 2020 agreed on a process of disengagement that involved reciprocal actions. Both sides also agreed to respect and abide by the LAC and not undertake any activity to alter the status quo. However in violation of this the Chinese side created a violent face off on June 15th at Galwan. “Our brave soldiers laid down their lives and also inflicted costs including casualties on the Chinese side,” Singh told the House. He said the conduct of Indian armed forces throughout these incidents shows that while they maintained “Sayyam” in the face of provocative actions, they also equally displayed “Shaurya” when required to protect the territorial integrity of India. “I would like the House to join me in recognizing the courage and valour of our soldiers, who undergo immense hardship in the most difficult conditions to keep us all safe and secure,” he reiterated, adding that he too had spent some time with the soldiers in Ladakh and had felt their indomitable courage, gallant and valour.
Singh also told the House about the history of the boundary dispute between India and China and the various efforts to resolve it.
As it is, India and China are yet to resolve their boundary question. China does not accept the customary and traditional alignment of the boundary between India and China. “We believe that this alignment is based on well-established geographical principles confirmed by treaties and agreements, as well as historical usage and practice, well-known for centuries to both sides. The Chinese position, however, is that the boundary between the two countries has not been formally delimited, that there exists a traditional customary line formed by the extent of jurisdiction that they claim was exercised historically by each side, and that the two sides have different interpretations of the position of the traditional customary line,” Singh said.
The two countries had engaged in discussions during 1950s-60s but these efforts could not yield a mutually acceptable solution. Singh told the House that China continues to be in illegal occupation of approximately 38,000 sq. kms in the Union Territory of Ladakh. In addition, under the so-called Sino-Pakistan ‘Boundary Agreement’ of 1963, Pakistan illegally ceded 5,180 sq. km. of Indian territory in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to China. China also claims approximately 90,000 sq. kms. of Indian territory in the Eastern Sector of the India-China boundary in Arunachal Pradesh.
“Both India and China have formally agreed that the boundary question is a complex issue which requires patience and have committed to seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution through dialogue and peaceful negotiations. In the interim, the two sides also agree that maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas is an essential basis for the further development of bilateral relations. I would like to mention here that as yet there is no commonly delineated Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the border areas between India and China and there is no common perception of the entire LAC. Therefore, in order to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas, especially along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the two countries have concluded a number of agreements and protocols,” the Defence Minister said. He added that under these agreements, the two sides had agreed to maintain peace and tranquility along the LAC without prejudice to their respective positions on the alignment of the LAC as well as on the boundary question. “It is on this basis, that our overall relations also saw considerable progress since 1988. India’s position is that while bilateral relations can continue to develop in parallel with discussions on resolving the boundary question, any serious disturbance in peace and tranquility along the LAC in the border areas is bound to have implications for the positive direction of our ties,” Singh pointed out.
A key element of both the 1993 and the 1996 Agreements was that the two sides will keep their military forces in the areas along the Line of Actual Control to a minimum level. These agreements also mandated that pending an ultimate solution to the boundary question, the two sides shall strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control. Furthermore in these agreements, India and China also committed to clarification and confirmation of the Line of Actual Control to reach a common understanding of the alignment.
Thus, in late 1990s and upto 2003, the two sides engaged in an exercise to clarify and confirm the LAC. But, thereafter the Chinese side did not show a willingness to pursue the LAC clarification exercise. As a result, there are some areas where the Chinese and Indian perceptions of LAC overlap. In these areas, as also with other sections of the border areas, the various agreements govern the manner in which troops of both sides should operate and deal with situations of face-offs to maintain peace and tranquility.
– globalbihari bureau
