In an indication of the shifting geopolitical dynamics in the region, the South China Morning Post, a Chinese state media, posted an article on August 1 referring to Ladakh as part of the "Indian State of Jammu &Kashmir" instead of its earlier stance of mentioning J&K as a "disputed territory between India and Pakistan."
Amid the troop buildup in Jammu & Kashmir, the Chinese Government also withdrew 60 engineers from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor with the help of Pakistani Defence forces in the wee hours of Friday.
The labour force was subsequently extricated from PoK, bringing to a halt the works on infrastructure and manufacturing units, sources said.
The Chinese move assumes significance as Ladakh is also referred to as "Little Tibet" due to the local inhabitants following Tibetan Buddhism.
The article in South China Morning Post titled "Ladakh: the good, bad and ugly sides to India's 'Little Tibet', high in the Himalayas underscored the shift in the introduction saying, "Known as Little Tibet due to a shared cultural and religious heritage, Ladakh, in the Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir is about the size of England, with a population similar in number to that of the Hong Kong district of Wan Chai.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's ISI proxies are projecting developments related to the scrapping of Article 370 from the State as an "an extension of Indian aggression in the Valley" even as Islamabad has launched hectic lobbying through sponsored organise against scrapping of Article 370 by Parliament. Islamabad has directed the lobbying organisations sponsored by it to organise conferences and protests to convince world leaders against the latest Indian legislative move in Jammu & Kashmir. Pakistan is also likely to vociferously raise the issue in the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September.
Pakistan's ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which maintains offices in foreign capitals, has directed these offices to organise protests including in London, Brussels and Quala Lumpur.
India on its part also briefed the ambassadors on the issue and the counter diplomatic offensive to be launched in major world capitals.
On the dirty tricks front, Pakistani social media getting flooded with pictures of so called Hindu terrorists preparing to attack Kashmiri Muslims and masses. The ISI proxies have warned netizens of implications of scrapping of Article 370 in the form of reprisal attacks. Incidentally, similar warnings were given by Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operatives in Bangladesh before initiating series of ruthless killings of progressive bloggers in Dhaka.
The Pakistani proxies are also building the narrative that the troop deployment in the Valley is as an extension of Indian aggression in Kashmir, sources said adding the hardliners like Fazlur Rahman may unseat Pakistan PM Imran Khan with the help of the Army there.
However, panic has gripped Pakistan-sponsored terror groups in the Valley with Hizbul Mujahideen asking its cadres to remain safe and carry minimum number of weapons.
Amid the evolving situation in Kashmir, Hizbul Mujahideen may offer to talk directly to the Centre on the eve of upcoming Eid, soruces said.
"The Government has to be cautious and vigilant to ensure Pakistan-influenced Kashmiris are confined in terms of enhancing their ideological influence to Indian Muslims in other parts of the hinterland. Containing the influence of Pakistan-backed agents is the upcoming challenge for the government and the security agencies," said Counter-Terrorism expert Dr Rituraj Mate.
