It finally happened. India’s adventurism along the border with China has gotten soldiers killed. At least 20 Indian soldiers including an officer were confirmed dead by Tuesday night, and while the Chinese had not released any casualty numbers, even state-backed Chinese journalists such as the editor of Global Times admitted that they also suffered casualties. The most recent dispute between the world’s two most-populous countries began over a road, but has now gotten to the point of war in all but name.
Even before India began working on roads to link to the Galwan Valley region, the area was known to be one of the border hotspots. It is close to Aksai Chin, part of China’s Xinjiang region. India claims that Aksai Chin and nearby areas are part of Ladakh, which is itself part of the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan. In fact, one of Pakistan’s early ‘friendship moments’ with China was relinquishing claims to land in Indian Occupied Kashmir, which China had also claimed.
But despite resolving its dispute with Pakistan decades ago, India was unwilling to give up its claim to the strategically important area. The dispute, however, had held up infrastructure development. Even today, although the Chinese side has better infrastructure, vehicle patrols along the Line of Actual Control must go across disputed territory to turn around. That is still better than the Indian side, which is still dependent on foot patrols. This is why the Indians were willing to take the risk to build the road.
The same lack of roads is also being blamed for a majority of the deaths in the recent clashes — 17 seriously injured troops apparently could not be taken for timely treatment and succumbed to the elements. Keep in mind that all this death did not involve the use of guns, just sticks and stones, with a few punches and kicks thrown in.
If one side doesn’t blink soon, the guns will come out, and the consequences will be nightmarish. And it is likely for this reason that Pakistan’s top military command gathered at ISI headquarters on Tuesday. While the military didn’t admit it, Pakistan is directly in the fallout zone of this brewing nightmare.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2020.
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