India has lost its authority to 26 of 65 patrolling points in the Eastern region of Ladakh. This worrying revelation is presented by a senior police officer in the union territory amid the country’s standoff with China at several hotspots along their high-risk 3,500-km frontier.
Currently, 65 Patrolling Points are originating from the Karakoram range to Chumur. These patrolling points are to be guarded regularly by the Indian Security Forces (ISF).
According to PD Nitya, the Superintendent of Police of Leh and Ladakh, “Out of 65 PPs, our presence is lost in 26 PPs (that are, Patrolling Point no. 5-17, 24-32, 37) due to restrictive or no patrolling by the ISFs.”
The report was listed at the annual conference of the nation’s finest police officers in Delhi. This conference was held last week and was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
According to the report filed, due to our less presence at the border patrolling points, China stresses India to agree to the fact that such areas have not witnessed the presence of ISFs or civilians for a long time, and that the Chinese were present in these areas.
This results in a shift in the border line under the control of Indian Security Forces towards the Indian side. Due to this a “buffer zone” is formed in all such patches that ultimately brings about the loss of control over these regions by India.
This is the very infamous tactic of PLA (China’s People’s Liberation Army), which helps them to grab land inch-by-inch is known as ‘Salami slicing’, said the report.
The People’s Liberation Army makes the best use of the buffer states in the peace treaty dialogue. They place some of their high standards cameras on the highest peaks and inspect the movement of Indian forces.
Officer Nitya further said that the Chinese express disapproval of Indian movement even in the buffer zones, and claim these to be ‘their’ area of operation. They then further pressured Indians to move backward to form more ‘buffer’ areas.
GALWAN VALLEY CLASH BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA
According to the officer, the deadly clashes in Galwan Valley in 2020 are the best example of this Chinese strategy. Around 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers died in this unarmed fight.
Officer Nitya said that labeling areas as prohibited and keeping them empty and desolate affects the force’s self-esteem as well.
The report mentioned, “During an interaction with one senior officer whose unit is based right in the forward area, he shared that, if by retreating 400 meters back, we can buy peace with PLA for 4 years, then it’s worth it.”
INDIAN DEFENCE REACTION TO THE REPORT
The government has not yet commented on the report presented. While addressing a local newspaper, which was the first one to report the police officer’s research paper, a defense source retaliated its pronouncements and said that there is no loss of territory due to disengagement in friction areas.
According to the defense source, some regions have been prohibited from patrolling for both sides (India and China). This would be done pending diplomatic resolution of disputes. There is no loss of pasture lands in these areas.
In unconnected areas, Indians have as many high- standards cameras and technical means as the PLA, and hence, Indians control the area as much, if not more, said the defense source.
They also mentioned that the our country’s military was “encouraging and providing all facilities”, in coalition with the civil administration, to give permission to locals and their cattle in grazing locations.
This report is released just over a month after India blamed China for trying to “unilaterally change the status quo” on their de-facto border when several clashes left troops on both Indian, as well as Chinese sides injured. This de-facto border is also known as the Line of Actual Control.
TAWANG CLASH BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA
The December 9, 2022 incident in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh was looked at as the most alarming face-off since the Galwan Valley clash in 2020. This clash led to sharp upsurges in hostile conditions between the two countries. A series of military talks have been held since then which have led to a careful withdrawal of forces on both sides.
