CHANDIGARH—It is said if someone deceives you twice it means you deserve it. China has deceived India a number of times but India has been dumb-founded in all these years. China has once again sprung up a surprise by formally staking a claim in Galwan valley in Ladakh near LAC that resulted in causalities. This is all the more surprising because China maintained silence on the issue for more than five decades. Just why it chose this moment to revive the territorial claim with a certain degree of consistency and firmness is not easy to understand.
The border between Tibet and India had always been undefined. Traditionally, Hindu pilgrims going to Kailash and Mansarover were not considered to be going to a foreign country. The first sign of trouble occurred when in the early 1950s Chinese pickets started challenging Indian pilgrims journeying to these areas, asking for their passports. Then, our acceptance of Chinese sovereignty over Tibet gave China to twist our arms. The Shimla agreement of 1904 had drawn imaginary McMahon Line on the map to demarcate the boundary between Tibet and the Government of India. The agreement was initiated by two Chinese plenipotentiaries at Shimla but was never formally ratified by the Chinese government.
China kept silent on the issue until its physical occupation of Tibet in 1950. Thereafter, China slowly and steadily started implementing its nefarious designs and raised its claim to Ladakh, Sikkim and NEFA(Arunachal Pradesh). Questions were raised from time to time with acceptance of China sovereignty over Tibet and it became very difficult to rule out corresponding territorial claims to these areas. Tibet has been more closely connected to India than China and China’s claim over Tibet was overshadowed by the spiritual leader Dalai Lama. In such a scenario, India should not accept Chinese sovereignty over Tibet without physical markings of the border as a permanent solution. We should not forget that under the Shimla Treaty, India had a military presence both in Lhasa and Gyantse until 1950.
When China invaded Tibet, the Dalai Lama appealed to UK, USA, India and Nepal seeking assistance against China. While the USA and Nepal remained mute spectators to this injustice Britain simply replied that it had no interest in this area after withdrawal from India. India was the only country which went out of its way to announce that it accepted Chinese claim over Tibet and advised the Dalai Lama to follow suit. In this way, India gave up its rights under the Shimla Treaty and withdrew its garrison from Lhasa and Gyantse.
While speaking to retired military officers admitted that India could have prevented the invasion of China over Tibet. China did not have much military might except its size. Geography was in favor of India keeping the Chinese away from Tibet. The Tibetan plateau was much more easily accessible from India than from China. They further say that a strong “no” from India was the need of the hour and militarily India could have deterred the Chinese from its misadventure. This was Nehru’s Himalayan blunder and another folly of Nehru was in 1959 when Dalai Lama was compelled to leave Lhasa.
This is an opportunity for India to show China its place otherwise Beijing may use many areas as a bargaining chip during negotiations in the future—perhaps as a quid pro quo for Ladakh.
Photo Courtesy:wap.business.standard.com
By YS.RANA :
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