Tranquility at LAC: Firm action needed
With the official denial by the military and the brushing off of the question by the external affairs ministry spokesman, any speculation on a Chinese incursion into the Chaglagam area of eastern Arunachal Pradesh on August 11 should have ended.
But given recent events along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh in the western sector, public opinion in India has turned chary about Chinese intentions. External affairs minister Salman Khurshid’s visit to Beijing in connection with the visit of the Chinese Premier, which had been thrown into serious doubt as a result of the penetration by People’s Liberation Army patrols in the Daulat Beg Oldi area of eastern Ladakh and pitching tents there, did not eventually succeed in clearing the air. Chinese movements at different places in the same broad area have continued sporadically.
There is no need to be hawkish about these matters but appropriate structural means are needed to make the LAC tranquil so that untoward incidents do not arise. The LAC is not easily definable in certain areas. Patrols from both sides do stray into each other’s territory, but retrace their steps when genuine errors are pointed out at flag meetings by the security forces on the ground. Only, unlike in the past, this arrangement has not been good enough of late. Until this aspect is firmly settled, political elements are likely to seek to exploit the situation.
The Centre has sought to rebut persistent suggestions by the Arunachal Pradesh BJP that Chinese troops have intruded fairly deep inside Indian territory. As politics is often a play of perceptions, more so when general elections are fast approaching, it is up to the government to give the people a sense of confidence. It may be recalled that for a year or more before the DBO standoff in Ladakh there had been persistent reports of Chinese incursions in Ladakh and elsewhere along the LAC, which were routinely denied at the official level. It was also said at one point that a newspaper carrying unverified reports would be proceeded against. But the DBO incident did eventually come to pass on the eve of the visit of China’s new Prime Minister earlier this year and the government was forced to acknowledge that an “eyeball to eyeball” situation had arisen.
The government is examining the scope for joint military exercises with China in November this year. If that is the confidence-building measure that will do the trick and bolster border management, then we should go ahead. After all, China is a very important neighbour with which significant economic and trade transactions are conducted. But it may be more practical to have concrete, verifiable agreements for the LAC prior to joint exercises.
Post new comment