New Delhi: In what came as the worst blow up on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in more than five decades between India and China is that it left 20 Indian army soldiers including a Commanding officer dead on Monday night in a violent face-off with Chinese troops in the Galwan valley of Ladakh.
However, the unprecedented development between the two nuclear power neighbours will have a serious impact on the bilateral relationship.
"A very significant escalatory step was taken by China that brutally killed 20 jawans including one commanding officer, I think this has altered the situation. For the last 53 years, there was no firing on the India -China border, there was no kinetic action”, said Major General Dr GD Bakshi, in an interview with ETV Bharat.
"We had peace and tranquillity, although there used to be pushing, subbing and scuffles, but this year, we found the Chinese army graduating to a new level of using iron rods, baseball bats bound with barbed wires, even knives which were used in the Galway attack. I think it crossed a threshold of lethally when they killed our soldiers. This cannot be taken lightly. China has to be given a reply, at the very least India will make it clear to China that India will not go by the rule book of China," said Bakshi.
The biggest military confrontation can be said to have escalated hatred, anger and tension pertaining to the already existing years of border disputes between the two countries over territories and it is the first fatal clash since 1975 and the most serious since 1967.
“I think, the clear order the Indian government should give is that all the soldiers have the right to private self-defence, they are armed and not a ‘lathi post’ and that they should be permitted to use their weapons in self-defence. It cannot be taken as a joke or a jamboree, Chinese has been involved in scuffles, fistfights, they occupy whatever area they want to claim as theirs, they move it, refuse to exchange maps as to their perception of LAC is, they refuse to get it demarcated, China wants a pressure point against us. This year Chinese troops have very specifically come looking for trouble”, he explained.
After the altercation along the LAC between China and India which caused casualties on both the sides, India needs to come up with strategic ways to counter China’s aggression and take a stand.
Speaking in the context of India’s strategies, Bakshi further said, “Chinese troops are trying to do Kargil; sitting on the heights overlooking the Galwan, the road which goes to Durbuk, Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi road. India built the road at great expense and why did we do that so that Chinese could sit in the Galwan heights and cut that road? So, as in Kargil 1999, India should attack and eject them from those heights which are hindering movement on the road. Secondly, India should counter areas, in some areas where Indian side have the advantage; just move and grab their territories and have a mutual exchange of territory. There are ample of kinetic options including air strike, artillery, parasails that we did in Nathula in 1967”.
"India should take a stand and protect its interest; Aksai Chin was ours; we have lost it. Its high time as India is no more like it was in 1962, we have become military strong, even small nation like Vietnam, Malaysia is standing up to China”, he pointed out.
"We will not stop making roads in our territory as China has no business as to what to do in our territory, it has made roads all over it," he reiterated.
Earlier, today Ministry of External Affairs S Jaishankar spoke to Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi on recent developments in Ladakh and both the nations agreed to resolve border clash in a fair way and de-escalate as soon as possible.
The MEA conveyed a strong message saying the Chinese side took pre-meditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties.
The ministry also underlined that this unprecedented development will have a serious impact on the bilateral relationship. “The need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take corrective steps”, said EAM.
On the other hand, Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi emphasized that both sides should strengthen communication and coordination through the existing mechanism to resolve conflicts.
Moreover, the External Affairs accused the Chinese troops of attempting to unilaterally change the status quo in the Galwan valley and said that the casualties could have been avoided had agreements made by military commanders over the past week been followed by the Chinese side.
“Chinese side had unilaterally violated the agreement of maintaining status quo and peace in the LAC. When there was a proper mechanism of solving the dispute between the armies, I see no reason as to what made the PLA of China provoked and what was the reason for them to commit such barbaric heinous attack. The kind of weapons they used was nothing but savage modus operandi which was applied. Stones, rocks, wire, iron rods were being used which was the utter human rights violation of all human rights convention under Geneva Convention and various charters related to warfare off UN," said Foreign Policy expert Dr SuvroKamal Dutta.
"Territories till Mount Kailash was always historically and culturally associated with Indian culture as such India should demand from China to hand over the same to India. India should stake her claims over it," he added.
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