The Indian Army has ordered to vacate villages near the Indo-China border in Sikkim.

Following the almost two month old stand-off between India and China over Doklam, the Indian Army has asked the villagers near the Indo-China border in Sikkim to vacate. Nathang, a village 35 kilometers form the border has been ordered to be vacated immediately.

However, the reason for such an order remains unclear. Hundreds of soldiers are moving from Sukhna towards the border and the order could have been issued to accommodate the soldiers in the village. It could also be a precautionary order to prevent villagers from harm in case any skirmish takes place.

While the Nathang villagers have confirmed the heavy troop movement in the area, the Army has said that it is a part of an annual exercise which takes place in September but has been advanced this year. The Army has also said that this troop movement is a regular maintenance exercise since the snow has melted and severe maintenance work has to be carried out. India is supposedly maintaining a strict “no war, no peace” mode.

The Chinese media had published an editorial titled “New Delhi should come to its senses while it has time” and said that,

The countdown to a clash between the two forces has begun, and the clock is ticking away the time to what seems to be an inevitable conclusion.

This editorial has triggered worldwide speculations and analysis. Some of the Chinese defense analysts have taken to the internet to suggest to the two nations that war is economically not feasible. The Indian government has repeatedly asked its Chinese counterpart for a dialogue to solve the dispute. However, the Chinese have maintained that India must withdraw troops if it wants a peaceful dialogue.