Monthly Archives: August 2018

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 27

Nepal has put on hold a constitutional amendment to update its political map to include three disputed areas in India.

A week ago, Nepal was all set for a cartographic confrontation with India when it unveiled a new political map that placed Kalapani within its border.

An understanding to tackle the situation diplomatically instead of belligerence was reached at an all-party meeting held at Baluwatar, the seat of the Nepal Government, late on Tuesday evening.

While Nepal announced that it had started printing the new political maps, the ruling party ran into problems when it sought to change the image of Nepal’s map on the coat-of-arms to incorporate the new changes.

Such a step, however, required more than an administrative decision and the ruling party realised it was short of the required two-thirds majority to amend the constitution to include Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani in the image of the map on the coat of arms.

The pro-India Nepali Congress was ambiguous at the all-party meeting and sought a meeting of its policymaking body to evaluate the issue. At least 35 members of Madhesh parties also sought their pound of flesh, forcing the ruling party’s managers to press the issue at some other opportune time.

India and Nepal re-opened their differences on a triangle of land bordering China about six months ago when New Delhi published a political map to show the change in countours of Jammu and Kashmir from a single state to two UTs of J&K and Ladakh. Nepal felt the new map seemed to have included three areas which were its territory.

The issue intensified again early this month when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a blacktopped road to Lipulekh Pass that seemed to traverse areas claimed by Nepal.

New Delhi cautious

We are carefully following developments in Nepal. Border issues are sensitive by nature and require trust and confidence to be resolved to mutual satisfaction. We note that there is a larger ongoing debate on this matter in Nepal. It underlines the seriousness of this issue. It also demonstrates the value being attached to relations between Nepal and India. We continue to monitor the situation. — sources

Washington, May 28

The US and India must develop a plan to counter a possible effort by China to strengthen its position in the Indian Ocean by deepening ties with Pakistan and Sri Lanka by taking advantage of their economic woes due to the coronavirus pandemic, an American think-tank has said.

There have been considerable concerns in India over China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean region. India has been trying to expand maritime cooperation with countries of the region including Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Singapore, primarily with an aim to check the growing Chinese assertiveness.

According to the Hudson Institute think-tank, the coronavirus pandemic threatens not only lives and livelihoods in South Asia; it could also be the precursor of significant political and strategic shifts in the region.

The Bangladesh and Indian economies will survive the devastation, but their governments will have to restore growth by protecting and encouraging investment, the think-tank said in a report jointly authored by Indian-origin Hudson research scholar Aparna Pande and former Pakistan Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani.

“Pakistan and Sri Lanka will likely move in the direction of negative growth and will need debt relief from their international creditors. Without it, Sri Lanka faces the prospect of a sovereign debt default. Both countries are likely to look to China as their benefactor, as their leaders have tended to do for a while,” it said.

According to the report titled “Crisis from Kolkata to Kabul: COVID-19’s Impact on South Asia”, China will most likely press its advantage by bailing out South Asia’s indebted governments, “in exchange for its pound of flesh”.

“This would come at the expense of India’s security and US influence in the region. India and the United States must develop a plan to counter efforts China will likely make to strengthen its position in the Indian Ocean by deepening ties with Pakistan and Sri Lanka,” said the Hudson report, released this week.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka have been a target of Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road (BRI) scheme, criticised for creating ‘debt traps’ by burdening fiscally weak countries with unsustainable debt.

The BRI is Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature global infrastructure policy.

First announced in 2013, the project promises to build ports, roads and railways to revive the ancient Silk Road and create new trade corridors linking China to Asia, Africa and Europe. The BRI also includes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which India opposed as it goes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

In December 2017, Sri Lanka handed over the control of the southern seaport of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease, triggering concern over Beijing’s efforts to expand influence in the Indian Ocean region.

Beijing has recently granted an “urgent” loan of USD 500 million to Colombo to help it fight the virus, which has infected over 1,465 people and claimed 10 lives in the country.

Earlier this month, China inked a USD 5.8 billion deal with Islamabad to build a dam in Gilgit-Baltistan, a move strongly opposed by India which said that carrying out such projects in territories under Pakistan’s illegal occupation was not proper.

The IMF has recently approved a loan of USD 500 million to cash-strapped Pakistan to cope with the economic crisis being posed by the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected over 59,000 people and killed more than 1,220. The country has also sought additional loans from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to tide over the crisis.

The report said India’s initiative to develop a regional response to the threat posed by COVID-19 has been undermined by Pakistan’s insistence on raising the Kashmir issue even in this challenging time.

“Given that Pakistan has fewer resources to further its military buildup against India, it is likely to escalate the use of sub-conventional warfare (terrorism) in an effort to gain the upper hand against much-larger India,” the report noted.

Pakistan, it said, might seek relief from terrorism-related strictures on grounds that it needs space to deal with the coronavirus emergency.

International pressure, especially Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey-list sanctions targeting Pakistan, might be needed to restrain the worst anti-Indian impulses of its civil and military leaders, the report added.

In the past, Pakistan has used natural disasters to expand terrorist infiltrations into Kashmir and India. Indian officials are concerned that Pakistan could use the COVID-19 crisis as a distraction to do the same, the report observed.

“Although a full-blown war in the subcontinent is unlikely, tensions between India and Pakistan will probably continue to impede efforts for regional cooperation. Such cooperation could ease the task of economic reconstruction that will almost certainly take place when the pandemic has died down. India could, and probably will, try to work with other countries in the region, but not Pakistan,” the report said. PTI 

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 27

A three-day conference of the Army’s top brass began today to delve on various issues facing the force, including operational and administrative matters.

This is the first phase of the event, the second scheduled for the last week of June. The conference was planned in April, but had to be deferred due to Covid-19 outbreak.

The meeting comes in the backdrop of a major crisis in Eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The three-day biannual event is attended by the top Army leadership to brainstorm new security and administrative issues and plan a roadmap.

The anti-terror operations in Kashmir will also be discussed. Another issue on agenda will be the training of soldiers and officers as the corona outbreak had halted all such drills, including field activity.

Also on agenda

• Anti-terror operations in Kashmir valley
• Training of soldiers and officers, which had stopped post-Covid outbreak
• Merger of Directorate General of Military Training into ARTRAC in Shimla

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 27

China sought to dial down tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and continued quiet diplomacy with India even as US President Donald Trump unexpectedly offered to be the peacemaker.

Read  also:

• Daring the Dragon
• Dealing with jittery China

“Between the two countries, we have good border-related mechanism and communication channels. We are capable of resolving the issues properly though dialogue and consultation,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, while confirming quiet diplomacy, away from public glare, was on to defuse the border tensions.

“This includes communication between border troops and between our diplomatic missions,” he explained.

At the same time, Zhao indicated tough bargaining in the days ahead by reiterating China’s commitment to safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and security.

There was a flutter in the strategic community when Trump sought to step in as the peacemaker days after Alice Wells, his top diplomat for the region, did the opposite by accusing China of causing problems from the land border with India to the South China Sea.“We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute. Thank you!” tweeted Trump. There was no response from the Indian and Chinese governments.

Trump previously offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, a proposal rejected by New Delhi maintaining there was no role for third party in bilateral issues.In a different context, the Chinese Ambassador said India and China must never let the differences shadow the overall situation of bilateral cooperation. “We should adhere to the basic judgment that China and India pose no threat to each other,” he stresssed.

New Delhi: India is witnessing its worst-ever border tensions since the Kargil battle in 1999, with China bringing forward at least 5,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

Transgressions have been reported at multiple locations in eastern Ladakh — three in the larger Hot Springs area and one in the ‘Finger’ area of Pangong lake.

Now, news agency ANI has reported that Chinese troops have moved in “nearly 10-15 km from the Indian post KM 120” in the Galwan Valley, and have pitched tents and stationed themselves close to the post. Post KM 120 lies on the strategic Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi road whose inauguration last year caused much discomfort to China.

The report does not make it clear if the Chinese movement is within territory controlled by China or India. However, sources in the know maintain that there is no transgression here per se, even though troop build-up has taken place on the Chinese side.

Satellite imagery shared on social media by experts has shown that the troops are most likely within the Chinese Claim Line (CCL) in the Galwan Valley, where that line matches the Indian perception of the LAC.

The sources told ThePrint that while about 250 troops are deployed here on a regular basis, more troops have been brought in to counter the Chinese deployment. The sources insisted that this does not mean the KM 120 post is under threat, but that it is being used for deployment and logistics.

Also read: Stand-off in Ladakh: Army matching wits with China, on every step

Worst since Kargil

What is happening at the LAC in eastern Ladakh doesn’t resemble how things unfolded in 1999, but the fact that the troop build-up and transgressions are happening at multiple locations as far 200 km apart, makes this the worst border tensions India has seen since the Kargil battle.

ThePrint had reported earlier in the day that India is carrying out “proactive localised preventive deployment” at multiple locations along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, even as it has carried out “mirror deployment” in areas where it has been challenged by Chinese troops.

The ANI report said the Indian Army has increased the presence of its troops and patrolling in other areas of eastern Ladakh under the 70 Brigade, in the Himachal sector and the central sector of the LAC, including the border with Uttarakhand, to check any attempts by the PLA to transgress.

It added that the Chinese army has diverted its troops, carrying out a massive exercise on its side of the LAC, and deployed them at short notice across the LAC in the areas under the Indian Army’s 81 and 114 Brigades, deployed to counter the Chinese assertions from Daulat Beg Oldi and adjoining areas. The Indian Army has remained mum on the issue.

Here’s an account of what has transpired so far.

Fist fight on 5 May

On the evening of 5 May, a large group of Chinese soldiers, armed with sticks and stones, descended upon a group of Indian soldiers, who were taken by surprise and eventually hit back.

The fist fight and stone pelting continued for quite some time, injuring several soldiers on both sides. Some of the injuries sustained were so severe that some soldiers including officers had to be evacuated to military hospitals.

The Army has not spoken officially on the issue but has admitted “injuries to several” soldiers.

Also read: India-China border conflict shows Beijing’s aggression not always rhetorical, says US diplomat Alice Wells

Transgression in ‘Finger’ area

The 134-km Pangong lake’s northern bank juts out like a palm, and the various protrusions are identified as “fingers” to demarcate territory. While India asserts that the LAC starts at Finger 8, China claims it starts at Finger 2, which India dominates.

Two-thirds of the lake, which extends from Tibet to Ladakh, is controlled by China, while the LAC passes through the lake itself, because of which both sides patrol it on land and in the water.

Since the perception of LAC is different, the area has a history of scuffles between both sides.

During the Kargil battle, when troops were diverted from the area to fight Pakistan, China had stepped in and built a motorable road at Finger 4.

Sources said India has been trying to construct a road further from Finger 2 over the past few years, which would have provided soldiers with the capability to move in vehicles. The Chinese have, however, now brought in more soldiers and have set up bunkers near Finger 3 to prevent Indian patrols from going further.

This is a clear transgression, because Chinese troops are in what India claims is its territory. Both sides have increased the force levels in this area.

Galwan Valley tense with troop build-up

While the initial focus was on Pangong, it later emerged that China had objected to a series of construction activities being carried out by India about 200 km away, in the Galwan Valley.

Galwan has largely remained peaceful since the 1962 India-China war. It is one area where the Chinese Claim Line and the LAC match, and this has been the understanding for years now at the local level.

However, no maps have been exchanged in this area, which means any kind of understanding is not formal.

The sources said what riled China in this area was a series of road construction activities, which are important to India from a military point of view, vis-a-vis the key base of Daulat Beg Oldi in sub-sector north in eastern Ladakh.

India’s Border Roads Organisation had built the Shyok-DBO road last year.

This road is at least 10 km inside the LAC at several points, and runs perpendicular to the Galwan river. To connect this road to the LAC, India was constructing feeder roads. This included a bridge over a nullah or rivulet, near the confluence of the Shyok and Galwan rivers.

The Chinese have been objecting to this, and following the Pangong clash, they decided to amp up their presence.

China brought in a large number of Border Defence Regiment (BDR) troops along the LAC to stop the Indian construction activity. They have pitched a large number of tents and set up associated logistics elements.

Taken aback by the Chinese objection to construction within Indian territory, India decided to “dig in” and do mirror deployment.

Hot Springs

Beside the build-up in Galwan Valley, Chinese troops have “come in” about 3 km into Indian territory south-east of the Galwan Valley, largely known as ‘Hot Springs’ area in eastern Ladakh.

The Chinese have come in near patrol point 14, 15 and the Gogra Post, which are 80 km south-east of the mouth of the Galwan Valley as the crow flies, and between the valley and Pangong lake.

Sources told ThePrint that the Chinese have not crossed the CCL in these areas, but did accept that these areas are about 3 km within India’s perception of the LAC.

Also read: IAF’s Sukhois on sorties in Ladakh amid tensions with China but no jets ‘scrambled’

Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by small arm firing with mortar shelling along LoC in Balakote sector in Poonch district Tuesday, a defence official said.

“Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by small arm firing with mortar shelling along LoC in Balakote sector in Poonch district early Tuesday morning”, he said.

He said the Indian Army retaliated befittingly.

The cross-border shelling between the two sides was going on when last reports were received, the officials said.

However, there was no immediate report of any casualty during the shelling.

Also read: Gen Naravane’s insensitive remark undermined 40 battalions of Nepalis in Indian Army

The biannual event is attended by the top Army leadership to brainstorm on new security and administrative issues, and plan a roadmap.

There have been tensions at the LAC for the past few weeks between the Indian and Chinese military, especially in the Galwan valley, larger Hot Springs area and around Pangong Tso lake in eastern Ladakh, a part of which juts out like fingers.On Tuesday, ThePrint reported that at least six rounds of talks were held at the local level (including the division level) in Ladakh to defuse the situation even as Chinese soldiers transgressed by about 3 km into Indian areas in at least four locations, with a troop build-up on the northern sector along the Chinese side of the LAC. This was apart from diplomatic and other efforts being undertaken to handle the issue.

According to sources in the Army, Kashmir is also likely to top the agenda during the meet given the slew of anti-terror operations security forces have undertaken in the Valley recently in the wake of attacks reportedly fuelled by new terrorist outfits. The summers also usually see an increase in infiltration bids at the LoC.

The three-day biannual event is attended by the top Army leadership to brainstorm on new security and administrative issues, and plan a roadmap.

This year’s meet, which was scheduled to be held in April, was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown. It is now being held in two phases, with the second phase scheduled to take place in June.

Also read: Kashmir, retirement age & artificial intelligence to be discussed at Army Commanders’ meet

Logistics and ammunition

A special focus area of the conference is likely to be logistical issues with an emphasis on ammunition management, sources said.

This could include discussions on reducing ammunition holdings and making the supply chain more efficient.

Other points, which are likely to be discussed, include integration of resources for ammunition, saving on storage space of ammunition, and the manpower required to guard ammunition depots.

In a recent interaction with a limited group of journalists, the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat had said ammunition would be a priority when it comes to defence acquisitions across services in the wake of the Covid-19 budget cut.He also said there had to be a push for indigenous manufacturing of ammunition given that it is largely import-dependent at the moment.

“If I start manufacturing ammunition in my own country, my stocking levels would come down. If we anticipate a tension, we can always tell the Indian manufacturers that you must have the capacity to surge. If there is a surge capacity with the industry, I can reduce my stocks,” he had said.

General Rawat had also said it is not a good idea to store large amounts of ammunition as they have a limited shelf life during which it has to be fired or destroyed.

He had said reducing storage will free up land and manpower, given that ammunition dumps use up vast swathes of land due to the mandatory safety distances and vacant spaces around it, and also because a lot of manpower has to be utilised for guarding them.

He had also said the manufacturing of ammunition should be divided between two or three companies so that even if a war lasts for 15 to 20 days, every day the Indian industry can supply one day’s ammunition, as against the risk of being denied stocks if one is dependent on imports.

Also read: Rs 30,000 pension soon for men who fought in 1965, 1971 wars but didn’t get absorbed in Army

Training of soldiers

The agenda for the conference is also likely to include various aspects of training of soldiers — an issue that emerged after the entire training schedule for the Army had to be reworked because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The conference will likely include discussions on merging the Directorate General of Military Training (DGMT) into the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) in Shimla as both have similar functions. This is part of a greater restructuring plan of the Army headquarters.

ThePrint had earlier reported that the Indian military is actively deliberating on setting up a new joint training command to meet the training needs of all its three branches — the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.

While the defence ministry had approved three major reforms for the Army headquarters last August, the restructuring plan can’t be implemented unless the overall restructuring is approved in totality, Army sources had told ThePrint.

Streamlining of various other training-related issues and human resource aspects are also likely to be part of the discussions, Army sources said.

Sources added that other aspects likely to be showcased at the event could include the Army’s efforts extended to aid civil authorities and HADR (humanitarian, assistance and disaster relief) operations undertaken from last year, such as those which came as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Army’s capability development initiatives such as procurements, infrastructure development and innovations in the field of operations, training and administration and military diplomacy efforts will also likely be showcased.

New Delhi: Amid continued tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, with both India and China ramping up military presence, the focus is on an “amicable solution” through talks, ThePrint has learnt.

Sources told ThePrint that a review of the security situation has been held at various levels, since tensions cropped up early this month.

While noting that the tensions have increased, sources said established channels have been activated to talk and de-escalate the situation.

“The focus is on an amicable solution,” a source said, adding that steps have been taken to counter the Chinese mobilisation at the LAC, which has escalated tensions in the Galwan Valley, Hot Springs area and the ‘Finger’ area of the Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh.

Also read: Stand-off with China in Ladakh is India’s worst border tension since Kargil in 1999

No escalation since mid-May

Sources told ThePrint that there has not been any escalation in the situation in eastern Ladakh since the middle of May, which they say is a good development.

Officials said while the military has taken position and done proactive preventive deployment in the west and central sectors of the LAC, and is prepared for a long stand-off, established channels for resolution of border issues are working round the clock.

While several rounds of military talks have taken place at the local level in Ladakh, no major breakthrough has been achieved.

Diplomatic channels have been activated to ensure that the situation calms down.

Why the Chinese are peeved

As reported by ThePrint earlier, the Chinese are peeved at a road construction work that India is carrying out from ‘Finger 2’ area of Pangong Lake, as well as a feeder road to the strategic Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi road constructed last year.

While the Shyok-DBO road is well within its territory, India is constructing feeder roads to the LAC, which would enable faster movement of troops and equipment.

The Chinese themselves have built roads near the LAC, but keep objecting to India’s construction.

Army chief Gen. M.M. Naravane had made it clear on 14 May that the development of infrastructure capabilities along the northern borders is on track.

ThePrint had reported that India has decided to “dig in” and conduct “mirror deployment” as China has brought in a large number of its Border Defence Regiment (BDR) troops to the Galwan Valley to force the Indian Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to stop infrastructure-development activities.

Sources maintained that additional troops deployed by China in the Galwan Valley are on their side of the LAC, but they are accompanied by heavy vehicles and logistics such as tents to house the soldiers.

However, Chinese soldiers are said to have “come in” by about 3 km into territory that India perceives as its own. This is near Patrol Point 14, 15 and the Gogra Post, which is several kilometres South East of Galwan Valley as the crow flies, and is between the Valley and Pangong lake. This is largely known as the Hot Springs area, according to the sources.

Sources told ThePrint that the Chinese have not crossed their claim line in these areas, but said these areas are about 3 km within India’s perception of the LAC.

Also read: In Ladakh, like in Doklam, China must learn to deal with the assertive Indian soldier on LAC

The standoff in Ladakh has been triggered by Chinese People’s Liberation Army effort to block building border infrastructure in the Daulat Beg Oldie sector

India has pushed in high altitude warfare troops with support elements to the eastern Ladakh theatre to counter Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aggressive posture designed to browbeat the government to stop building border infrastructure in the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector as it may threaten the Lhasa-Kashgar highway in Aksai Chin. The specialised Indian troops are familiar with the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China and are tuned for operating at rarefied altitudes.

The scale of PLA deployment – two brigades strength and more – indicates that the move has the sanction of Beijing and not limited to local military commanders.

“From Australia to Hong Kong to Taiwan to the South China Sea to India and right up to the US, a bellicose China is staring at the world for domination at all costs,” said a senior government official after a meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the situation on Tuesday.

CDS Gen Bipin Rawat was the Army Chief in 2017 when the Doklam standoff with China had taken place

Also Watch | ‘China hindering patrolling’: India slams Beijing after Ladakh, Sikkim fistfights

For three faces at PM Modi’s strategy meeting, this was the second time in three years that they were faced with a similar situation. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. This was the team that had crafted India’s response to the Doklam standoff in 2017 that lasted 73 days. General Rawat was then the army chief and Jaishankar, India’s foreign secretary.

Also Read: India matches up to China’s military in standoff near Karakoram Pass

The messaging from Tuesday’s meeting mirrored India’s response to the 2017 standoff when Indian troops dug in and stood their ground in the face of a rapid mobilisation by the Chinese side.

Officials said while India favours de-escalating the situation on the LAC through mutual respect and dialogue under the peace and tranquility mechanism in place, PM Modi’s ‘Doklam team’ has been told to prepare for all eventualities.

In purely military terms, the Chinese dominance and deterrence posture in the DBO sector is an effort by the PLA to try to prevent India from executing its rapid border infrastructure building plan. This summer is the last chance it has.

“The Darbuk-Shyok-DBO road will be completed this year and will raise the Indian capacity to rapidly deploy in the area. If the road project is blocked, the Indian Army will be forced to live off aerial supply lines and prepare for an arduous route linking Sansoma to Murgo to DBO through glaciated Saser La,” a national security planner in the government said.

Also Read: China’s tactical play in Ladakh isn’t just about the boundary

To be sure, there has been friction between the Indian Army and PLA in Pangong Tso, Galwan and Depsang Plains for the last two years. But most of these were taken care of.

“Just as China has built infrastructure within its own claim line without any objections from India, the former is opposed to any Indian infrastructure build up as if New Delhi has military objectives while Beijing has done this to promote tourism,” said a former army chief, a reference to the infrastructure on the Chinese side where all military outposts are linked by metalled roads to the base camps.

Also Read: Resolution of the Doklam stand-off is a case study on how to deal with China

While China has all plans to stare down India into submission with its all-weather ally Pakistan deliberately initiating troop movement in neighbouring Gilgit-Baltistan region, India cannot afford to budge from its position as this will amount to acceding to Xi Jinping’s cartographic expansion in the area through military muscle.

It is in this context that the Indian Army has inducted more troops in the theatre with others undergoing through the acclimatization process as this may be a long haul.

“The Chinese have already initiated psychological operations through its mouthpieces to remind India of the 1962 border skirmish in the same area. But this is 2020 and the leader is Narendra Modi,” said a senior cabinet minister.