The masterly move in south Pangong that got PLA’s goat

It was on the intervening night of August 29-30 that the Indian Army undertook a successful operation near the southern bank of the Pangong Tso that changed the Chinese army’s attitude, writes senior journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah.

New Delhi: Besides Indian Army’s fierce resistance, the bitter winter, and the issue of maintaining logistics and supplies, there are quite a few reasons why China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the ongoing India-China standoff in eastern Ladakh has decided to eschew belligerence and opt for a mutually decided process of ‘disengagement and de-escalation’, the first moves of which were seen on Wednesday followed by coordinated pulling back of tanks in the southern Pangong Tso area on Thursday.

On November 11, ETV Bharat had reported on the proposed mutual withdrawal by both sides which will take India back to the Dhan Singh Thapa post between Finger 3 and 4, while the Chinese will go back beyond Finger 8.

But it was the standout masterful tactic of sudden occupation of certain heights by the Indian Army which included soldiers of the secretive Special Frontier Force (SFF) on August 29-30 on the south Pangong that caught the Chinese by surprise.

“With a single move, the Indian Army occupied certain points including the ‘Saddle’ area that is located between the PLA-occupied ‘Black Top’ and ‘Hemlet’—two peaks near the southern bank of the lake,” a retired Army officer who commanded the Ladakh-based 14 Corps told ETV Bharat on condition of not being identified.

The SFF is an Indian Army formation that comprises ethnic Tibetan soldiers originally hailing from the Khampa region, known for producing tough and hardy fighters skilled in mountain warfare.

“Geographical features like ‘Gurung Hill’, ‘Camel’s Back’ are all under our occupation. Along with the ‘Saddle’, we had a very good commanding view of the PLA base at Moldo garrison up to the Spangur Lake. We can also see the road that comes to the Moldo PLA base. And further south of the Spangur Gap, we are in a very strong position,” said the former general-ranked official who is very familiar with the region having served there for years.

“After the Indian occupation, the Chinese realized they had been fooled and subsequently made the claim in the ‘Global Times’ that we were 4 km inside Chinese territory. Four km inside would mean China has staked territorial claims right to the foot of the Chushul Valley”.

“This particular claim had never come earlier. It showed that they were rattled. The northern bank area including the Finger areas are not of tactical consequence. But the heights on the southern bank are,” the former commander added.

The southern bank incursion also included ‘Rezang La’ for which a fierce battle was fought in 1962 and this was the first time that the Indian army has occupied the place. The ‘Rezang La’ and ‘Rinchen La’ are on the right of the gap from where the vitally important Kailash range begins. ‘La’ means a mountain pass in the local language.

Although much has been said about the ‘Finger area’ on the northern bank of the lake, there is nothing of much tactical significance there as machine boats on the lake continue to crisscross into areas much further. What matters immensely are the heights on the southern bank.

Fingers 1 to Finger 8 are finger-like spurs that jut out in a north-south direction from the mountains southwards to the Pangong Lake. While India claims the LAC runs near Finger 8, China claims territory till Finger 3. In the past, while the PLA patrolled from Finger 8 to 4, Indian Army patrolled from Finger 4 to 8.