India must realize that the only way to settle the border dispute with China is through negotiations .”
This view was presented by lt.Gen (Retd) KK Khanna ,former commandant of Indian Military Academy (IMA), at Doon University (during a presentation on Sino Indian Border Dispute) this evening.
“India must realize it takes two to negotiate. So will the Government of India get on with itIJ” he said after explaining the dispute so far in detail.
He said the border dispute with China has remained unresolved for over six decades now . “How will it be resolved IJ Through another war IJEven if we ignore China’s nuclear weapons ,is Indian Army supported by the Air Force ,expected to capture Aksai Chin IJ Will china ever let go of Aksai Chin IJ If not ,what is the Government waiting for IJ”
He said India’s stand that MacMohan line must be accepted by China before negotiations for minor adjustments can be organized is not acceptable to China . “In the West ,China will never let go of Aksai Chin, nor is it of any use to India. In fact, professionals and intellectuals must evaluate our ability our ability our ability to hold and administer the area beyond Karakoram range. Generals must give correct professional advice to the Government about our military capability for every option,” he said. He said that the border should be finalized and formalized . “There should be a give and take.”
lt.Gen (Retd) Khanna said the recommendations given by Generals to the government must be debated ,accepted and implemented . “It is high time we develop courage to face the truth, record our history accurately and learn appropriate lessons.”
Talking about the history of Sino-Indian dispute , Gen Khanna said that during the uprising in Tibet in 1959, China suspected that Kalimpong was supporting Tibetans.
This was the time when the Dalai lama was given political asylum in India and his statements were distributed through foreign missions .
PlA was deployed right up to the Indian border to counter the Indian support to the Tibetan rebels.India saw this as China’s attempt to claim the border.
India adopted the forward policy ,deployed Army on the borders and clashes started. But India believed that the Chinese would not use force against Indian troops.
Gen Khanna said that there was a lot of misinformation after the war. “In India the whole war was reported as a treacherous attack by China .The entire blame for the reverses was passed to the army .That time the new defence minister Y.B.Chavan informed the parliament that reverses were due to poor leadership in the army ,fighting in difficult conditions ,and lt.Gen Henderson Brooks had been asked to review the cause of the war and debacle .
This was deliberately misleading the parliamentarians .In fact, the army chief was instructed that there would be no detailed inquiry into the causes of the war.”
He concluded that negotiations involve give and take and it was high time the Government realized that.