By Shirhir Gupta
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, second right, with Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, right, India Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, left, and the chief of Indian Naval staff Admiral Karambir Singh.
The commanding officer of the PLA battalion (click here) deployed in eastern Ladakh and his second-in-command died in the violent faceoff between Chinese and Indian soldiers in the Galwan area of eastern Ladakh on Monday, people familiar with the developments said on Friday. China has confirmed that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) suffered casualties but has dodged repeated questions from international media about details of the clash.
Twenty Indian soldiers including a colonel-ranked officer were killed in the violent scrap, the first Indian casualties in a clash with the PLA in 45 years.
“This was the first clash of its kind on the Line of Actual Control because India has the capability and the will to stand up to an aggressive China,” a top military commander told Hindustan Times.
Chinese troops, which had mobilised soldiers along the Line of Actual Control and set up a stand-off with India for nearly six weeks, refused to back down in line with the understanding reached between top commanders of the two armies on June 6. What started off as an argument between local commanders of the two sides on June 15 evening after the PLA attempted to build a structure on the Indian side during the de-escalation process soon spiralled into a full-blown fisticuffs....
19 June 2020
The engineers of the Indian Army (click here) have completed the construction of a 60-metre bridge over the Galwan river in eastern Ladakh that would strengthen India’s control of the region by enabling the Indian troops to move across the river and provide a shield to the 255 KM strategic road from Darbuk to Daulat Beg Oldie, the final post south of the Karakoram Pass, the Hindustan Times reported....
Chart (click here)May 26
New Delhi - Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting on Tuesday with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat besides other senior officials on a day the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops continued in the Galwan valley of eastern Ladakh.
Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh RK Mathur, (click here) who was in Delhi, also called on the Prime Minister, said official sources.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was also briefed by the CDS and three service chiefs on Tuesday as he reviewed the ground situation in Ladakh.
Singh is learnt to have heard them out, discussing troop numbers and risk to infrastructure. Earlier, the Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army held several meetings to resolve the LAC situation in eastern Ladakh.
Defence sources said India, for now, had decided that road construction along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh must continue and Indian fortifications and troop deployment must match those of the Chinese. The Indian Army has been asked to hold ground while talks to defuse the situation would continue.Meanwhile, reports said China continued to add to its military strength across eastern Ladakh as tensions festered in the Galwan valley and north of the Pangong Tso, a 135-km glacial lake....
June 19. 2020
By Aurangzeb Naqshbandi
Congress president Sonia Gandhi (click here) on Friday sought an assurance from the government that status quo will be restored on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Galwan Valley in Ladakh area and that China will revert to its original position.
In her address at the all-party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the border stand-off with China, Gandhi asked pointed questions on whether there was an intelligence failure on the massive build-up of Chinese forces along the LAC.
“In fact, even at this late stage, we are still in the dark about many crucial aspects of the crisis,” Gandhi said.
'
The meeting was attended by leaders of 20 political parties. Defence minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister S Jaishankar too were present....
This provides an understanding of where J&K is and a brief history of the area. These are the most populous countries. If they ever decided to launch into a war it is possible both countries could gather a formidable military. It is my opinion China has a more sophisticated military, but, India would then be looking to the USA to match China's power.
May 31, 2020
China and India - the world’s two most populous countries (click here) which had fought a full-fledged war in 1962 — are now facing a stern test once again as their militaries are in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation at a few places along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh region....
When such powers decide to engage in conflict, diplomacy is very difficult because of the dense cultural issues. Soldiers would be serving for their own reasons, which may vary, within a single military unit. This type of dynamic, while motivating, can remove "facts and reason" within the conflict.
The geography dictates the Line of Actual Control (LAC). I dare anyone to do better.
September 13, 2016By Sudha Ramachandran
In July, China reportedly crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC), (click here) the de facto border between India and China, at Barahoti in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand on at least two separate occasions. In addition to Chinese aircraft carrying out reconnaissance sorties in the area, 20–25 soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly crossed into the demilitarized zone at Barahoti (Cankaoxiaoxi, August 2; Times of India, July 31). These incidents again highlighted India’s poor overland connectivity near the 3,488-km-long disputed border with China. The border post at Barahoti, for instance, is dependent on a single road that stops 20 km short of the LAC. Beyond that road, human porters and pack animals must carry supplies to the border post (India Strategic, September 2013)....
...1. The LAC is divided into three sectors: the “western sector” between Ladakh and the Aksai Chin, the “central sector” between Uttarakhand and Tibet, and the “eastern sector” that divides Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh from Tibet. India lays claim to 38,000 sq km of territory in Aksai Chin that is under Chinese control and China claims 90,000 sq km of land that roughly approximates Arunachal Pradesh. The central sector in which Barahoti falls is the least contentious sector....
Other than people dying, there isn't much to discuss. There is no real purpose to the conflict. Land use is very limited. This is about expansion by China.
To make it plain, China can enter India to cause a shift in authority in the country of India in this region. Kashmir is the focus. This can cause a major war.
Conclusion
The Himalayan region places tough logistic burdens on militaries operating there, making improvement of roads and rails a priority for China and India. While framing their infrastructure projects in economic terms, China’s progress has real strategic implications. Though the Indian government has often promised to prioritize its own building programs, these have yet to pan out.
India is building its roads for the first time to achieve what has normally been viewed as a "balance of power." After long-standing agreements, China does not like the balance of power. If China decides to carry out war with India the USA would have serious issues facing it.
This could be as simple as a Chinese general that believed it was his duty to continue the imbalance of power. But, it could actually be a real move by China for greater expansion.
Prime Minister Modi is stating China did not enter India, however, there are 20 dead soldiers including top commanders. India has the moral right to make the terms of any agreement or aggression now.
It is a very delicate area. There is no reason to give terrorists the upper hand.
June 19, 2020
Eight terrorists (click here) have been gunned down in the two encounters in these two days. On Thursday, two terrorists were killed in each district.
Six more terrorists were killed on Friday in two ongoing gun battles in south Kashmir’s Pulwama and Shopian districts, eight since Thursday, police and defence officials said.Rajesh Kalia, the Indian Army spokesperson, said five terrorists have been gunned down killed in Shopian and three in Pulwama in the two encounters in the last 24 hours.
Security forces had launched a cordon and search operation at Meej in Pampore area of Pulwama in south Kashmir on Thursday morning after receiving specific information about the presence of terrorists in the area, a police official said.
The official said the search operation turned into an encounter after terrorists fired upon a search party of the forces, who retaliated....
This is the region at the center of the issues between India and China. The Himalayas. Peace is paramount to this region. This entire mess is ridiculous. The lack of sincere reasons for this conflict makes me think this is aggression by China for more than just the Line of Actual Control. It doesn't make sense.
end
