Nails and Batons

On 15th June 2020, a face-off took place between the Indian & the Chinese Army at Galwan Valley. At least 20 Indian soldiers were reported to be killed in action, including the Commanding Officer Col. B. Santosh Babu of 16 Bihar. It was the first event with this number of casualties in more than four decades.

The state of Kashmir is one of the most disputed places on Earth. And after the assembly elections in 1987, it has always been the most Militarized Zone on the planet. All thanks to Pakistan & China. Now, most of you or I should say that all of you have heard about LOC, also known as the “Line of Control”, a dividing & disputed line drawn between India and Pakistan. It is a legally demarcated line & a product of a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan. Although it took shape after the first war between the two nations it was formally named the “Line of Control (LOC)” after the Simla Agreement of 1972.

When you take a closer look at the above-mentioned map of Jammu & Kashmir, you will find that Northern Areas are coloured in green, the Aksai Chin area is demarcated with thick brown stripes, the Shaksgam Valley has been demarcated with dark brown stripes & the central & lower parts named “Jammu and Kashmir” is coloured Orange. You might wonder if the whole area in Jammu and Kashmir then why it is divided into these 4 different regions. So just to clear the basics, even before the actual war took place or the Indian Army could even reach the areas of Kashmir, the Pakistani army illegally captured that green coloured part of Kashmir, known as the Gilgit Baltistan. Now, the Aksai Chin area was captured by the Chinese Forces in the 1962 war & just after the war in 1963, Pakistan gave the Shaksam Valley area to China. Now, to understand the border dispute between India & China we should divide it into 3 major sectors:

1. Western Sector
2. Middle Sector
3. Eastern Sector

The current situation is focused on the Western Sector which is the Ladakh region. Now, Ladakh is a very critical point between India & China because of the 2 line dispute between the 2 countries.

Around 1865, the British ordered William Johnson, a Civil Servant & John Ardagh (a military engineer and Intelligence officer), to draw a borderline between British India & China. He demarcated the areas & named it as Johnson-Ardagh Line. According to Johnson-Ardagh Line, the Aksai Chin area came under the territory of British India.

Now the Indian side which borders the line is the Ladakh region and the Chinese side which borders the line is “Xinjiang”. When this Johnson-Ardagh line was getting demarcated, the British did not bother to consult the Chinese because China was facing Dungan Revolt. The King of Kashmir built a fort there known as Xaidulla. Though the fort was built it was not used.

After fighting with their internal matters, China re-conquered the Xinjiang area & started to administer it. In 1892, they started erecting the boundary makers from near Karakoram pass. Next year, with consultations from British Consul General George Macartney, they approved a borderline & in 1899, they revised it with the help of Sir Claude MacDonald which was later known as, “Macartney-MacDonald Line”. Now, According to this “Macartney-MacDonald Line,” the Aksai Chin area came under the Chinese Territory.

The Whites continued using the Johnson Line as Official demarcation but the Chinese opted for the new “Macartney-MacDonald Line”.

Now around the late 1950s, the then Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai also made his stance clear in one of his letters to Nehru, that Sino-Indian boundary has never been delimited; he also said that the McMahon Line was a product of the British policy of aggression against the Tibet region of China. The Chinese also started & I quote,

“The Chinese Government proposes that the armed forces of China and India each withdraw 20 kilometres at once from the so-called McMahon Line in the east, and from the line up to which each side exercises actual control in the west, and that the two sides undertake to refrain from again sending their armed personnel to be stationed in and patrol the zones from which they have evacuated their armed forces, but still maintain civil administrative personnel and unarmed police there for the performance of administrative duties and maintenance of order.”

Src: Marxists Internet Archive

So, by reading the above snippets you might have got an idea that how rigorous the Chinese attitude is.

// HOW DID THE LAC EMERGE?

On 7th November 1959, the Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai made it clear in his letter that, “the border disputes which have already arisen should be settled amicably and peacefully and that pending a settlement the status quo should be maintained and neither side should seek to alter the status quo by any means.”

• After the Dalai Lama incident in 1959, tensions arose at the border. In 1962, the Chinese attacked the Indian side & despite the sacrifices of many — India lost that war. Later, this unofficial demarcation became the cease-fire line between the two countries. On September 7 1993, an Agreement took place between the Indian & the Chinese government & in the Article IX of that bi-lateral agreement, it was stated that;

IX: “Pending an ultimate settlement of the boundary question, the two sides should strictly respect and observe the line of actual control and work together to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas. The India-China Joint Working Group and the India-China Diplomatic and Military Expert Group shall continue their work under the Agreements of 7 September 1993 and 29 November 1996, including the clarification of the line of actual control and the implementation of confidence-building measures.”

Src: Ministry of External Affairs; mea.gov.in

// The Tale of Fingers

The series of incidents started on 5th June at Pangong Lake, also known as Pangong Tso. It is the world’s highest saltwater lake. According to India.com, it is 134 Km long, extending from India to China & has a breadth of 5 Km. Around 60% of its area lies within the TAR & as a matter of fact, the LAC also passes through this lake. As LAC don’t have mutually agreed & legally demarcated line, armies of both the nation always try and dominate by patrol to the areas up to their acknowledgement of Line of Control.

Talking about the Fingers of Pangong Lake. In layman’s language, those pointed areas directed toward the lake are identified by the numbers assigned to them. Mountain Chang Chenmo has palm like formations called ‘fingers’ which is why these are often known as the Fingers of Pangong Lake. As you can see from the mentioned map, Westside is India & the Eastern side is China. The area which lies between F-4 & F-8 had always been unoccupied until now. The Chinese have now physically occupied the area & have established their post. Although the area till F-8 has always been claimed by India.

// THE GALWAN ENCOUNTER

The thing is no one actually knows where the LAC is. It has no fixed boundaries because it is not legally demarcated, but the catch is; The Galwan Valley doesn’t have a grey area. As both countries claim the same perception in this area. They know that is under India — it is under China. But still Chinese have deliberately entered the Heights of the Indian Territory.

Now, India has built a 255 Km road that has been laid until Daulat Beg Oldi from Shyok and Darbuk. The Chinese have moved into the Galwan Valley & they have a big advantage of heights as they can easily attack that road, they can use artillery and other weapons to fire on it & can even destroy it so that India will have no access to it.

Daulat Beg Area had already been in news. On 15th April 2013, the Chinese PLA set up a permanent camp in Raki Nula, 30 Km south of Daulat Beg Oldi near the LAC. Both sides have always avoided establishing permanent bases but this was the first event when the Chinese tried to do the permanent setup. Indian forces responded quickly & diplomatic negotiations lasted nearly 3 weeks. Although no clashes were reported at that time this time it was something else.

On 15th June, a small confrontation took place between the two armies but no one knew that it will turn out to be a deadly one. The clash took place when a small Indian patrol party moved to remove a Chinese tent in the Galwan river valley at 15,000 feet. As the removal of the tent were promised by the Chinese side at the June 6th talks.

According to The Quint, a physical fight broke out after the Chinese side attacked the patrol party led by Colonel B. Santosh Babu of 16 Bihar. The patrol party was unarmed. They were attacked with batons and rods fitted with nails.

At least 20 Indian soldiers were reported to be Killed in Action at the 15th June incident. Some reports have also claimed that at least 40 PLA soldiers were also killed. Prime Minister Modi said, “Our Bravehearts attained martyrdom while giving befitting reply…the sacrifices of our soldiers will not go in vain”.

Heavy military movements have also been reported in the valley. Recently, large scale movement of troops has also been ordered by the Indian Army. Many advanced weapons have also been stationed at the forward locations in Ladakh. Few videos have revealed that M-777 light howitzers which were recently inducted into the Army were also seen transporting.

The Indian AirForce has also stationed its fighter aircraft at forwarding locations in Haryana & Punjab. It has also directed the newly commissioned officers to report their respective frontline units directly.

For more than 70 — Years, the crown of India; is facing a shred of violence, disputes & wars. Pakistan & China are trying their best to control this region but the Indian Armed Forces have sacrificed their everything to keep the integrity of this region & have made it clear that Kashmir & Ladakh were — is & will remain an integral part of India.