Hyderabad: Even as top Chinese and Indian Commanders held high-level talks at Chushul in Ladakh on Saturday in a bid to end the latest border standoff between the two countries, Konchok Stanzin, Executive Councillor, Chushul, Leh, said that the Chinese army has entered into Indian territory and has "not yet retreated" and expressed concern over villagers losing their grazing pastures amid the confrontation.
In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, Stanzin said, "The Chinese army has entered into our territory and has not yet retreated...there is no demarcation line between the two countries in Ladakh region making the people inhabiting areas close to the LAC vulnerable to losing the grazing pastures which is their only source of livelihood as the Chinese army keeps trying to occupy it."
He stressed that dialogue between the two most populous nations, that has seen thousands of troops sent to both sides of the disputed border, can resolve the dispute.
The conflict in the region began in the month of May and since then both Beijing and Delhi have beefed up their security presence at finger four area near Pangong Tso and Galvan valley at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh and since then the nomadic movement in the region has not only gone thin but has come to a standstill, said Stanzin.
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While the Executive Councillor pointed out that the latest conflict has not yet affected the routine work in the villages at the LAC be it construction or agricultural activity, he, however, expressed apprehension regarding access to grazing lands which he said, “is the lifeline for the residents of the border villages.” Most of the villagers are nomads in the region rearing Pashmina goats.
“Around seven villages which are at the Line of Actual Control have become a buffer zone,” said Stanzin. The main source of livelihood for the nomads is their livestock and the pashmina, and they need to take their cattle to the grazing lands during winters, but it has become a risky affair for more than a fortnight now, he said.
Stanzin further stated that the army patrol in the region was a routine affair and CASO’s (Cordon and Search Operations) would on some occasions last for an hour or so but the cordon which was laid in the villages last month turned out to be the longest CASO for the villagers. Heavy patrolling and intense CASO has created fear among the people in the region, he said.
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There is hardly any civilian movement in the Galvan valley or the finger four areas after the build-up as the entire region stands cut off, he added.
Stressing on the need for a clear demarcation of the border between India and China, Stanzin said that claims over the grazing pastures at the LAC keep changing between the two countries, “unless there is a clear demarcation between the two countries the conflict can never be resolved.”
On Chinese army entering grazing pastures disguising as nomads and claiming the territory, Stanzin suggested, “India should allow its nomads freely into grazing areas so that we can have a negotiation plank. Their free movement in the pastures will help India get information on Chinese movement in the area”, he said.
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According to Stanzin seven villages close to LAC with a population of 1,100 are being directly affected by the present conflict.
If the conflict remains unresolved till winter it will have a huge impact on the lives of the residents of the border areas of Ladakh, Stanzin concluded.
