Centre must reveal China’s gameplan at lAC
Minister for Defence AK Antony's assurances to Parliament on Friday that the Government is keeping tight vigil along the line of Actual Control, have done little to allay popular fear that China may have surreptitiously grabbed Indian territory. This is partly because the people have no faith in the incumbent regime and largely because they have no credible information on the ground situation. For years, the Government has kept such a heavy veil of secrecy on the issue that it is now impossible for the public to make an informed opinion. The situation along the lAC is already a complicated one, vaguely defined by varying claims and perceptions that continue to change on both sides. No informed and sensible debate on this subject is possible without a solid understanding of what both sides claim as their own, and also about how border patrols reiterate those claims. Yet, forget about understanding Chinese claims, there is no consensus even among experts in this country on what exactly India considers as it own. New Delhi itself seems to be confused about how much disputed territory lies between India and China, with estimates of the un-demarcated territory extending from anything between 800sqkm to more than 2,000sqkm.
The latest furore over Mr Shyam Saran's supposed report to the Government that China had occupied 640 sqkm of Indian territory is plagued by a similar case of information blackout. The National Security Advisory Board Chairman and former Foreign Secretary may have since denied making the claims, but the lukewarm response that Mr Antony's testimony received both from Parliament and the public is telling. The Defence Minister is correct in saying that China's roads infrastructure development along the lAC has allowed its troops to patrol more aggressively. But what he does not mention is that India did nothing of the sort on its side for much of the nine years that his regime has been in power. It was only after 2009 that New Delhi began laying new roads, setting up forward posts and refurbishing airfields, including the one at Daulat Beg Oldie. But it is yet to catch up with China, which has far superior infrastructure in the region, making it difficult for Indian troops to assert their claims along the lAC. The crux of the situation is this: India may or may not have lost territory to China, but if it persists with its meekness, Beijing will trample over us.
In other words, India can no longer let the border dispute fester. By resorting to aggressive patrolling along the lAC, China has made clear that it will tackle the border issue head-on; now, India cannot afford to sweep the matter under the carpet. New Delhi has been inexplicably squeamish in discussing it during bilateral talks; it has hid behind the excuse that there are border mechanisms and special representatives to look into it. But clearly these ‘mechanisms' alone aren't enough — no progress has been made in the 16 rounds of special representative talks held since 2003, because New Delhi has not been able to convince Beijing to share maps that depict its own perceptions of the lAC. India needs to send the message across that it is serious about sorting the border issue. Bringing it up forcefully at every bilateral meet is a good place to start.