If you want peace, be prepared for war. The axiom is loaded with harsh reality. Sensible nations do not need testing the proverb but acting in its light. We have unnecessarily imposed some indescribable constraints on ourselves. One of these is that our gentleness and honesty will stand us in good stead in times of need. In regard to China, our first Prime Minister was dangerously idealistic. It was very late that Nehru understood that Chinese word and act had double meaning; one for themselves and the other for the recipient. But alas, Nehru realized it very late and by that time, much water had gone down under the bridge.
China never betrayed even the smallest sign of respecting our friendship. She always and even today considers it a sign of our weakness. On international platform, China never concealed its hostility towards India and openly declared that India was a rival in Asia. But China has her own method of carrying forward her interests. It is a widely known fact that Chinese monster keeps nibbling at the borders of her neighbours. We have enough experience of this in our eastern region and in Ladakh. Apart from illegally occupying portion of our territory in Ladakh, China managed to grab 5000 square kilometers of the territory of the Indian State illegally occupied by Pakistan in Aksaichin region.
India has no alternative but to expand, strengthen, modernize and keep in battle readiness her defence mechanism in entire border touching with that of China. As a part of this established defence strategy, Indian Defence Ministry has decided to create a full-fledged airbase at Nyoma in eastern Ladakh at a height of 13000 feet above sea level. The base will be good enough to handle fighter jets and supply aircrafts thus reinforcing our defence position on the border with China. The ambitious project is jointly undertaken by the army and the air force. The work on acquisition of land for the purpose has begun and is progressing well. In strategic terms, Nyoma airbase will be of crucial importance to our border security concerns with China. From the heights of Nyoma, we can have the capability of detecting the moves of Chinese soldiers across our border in the region. There existed a tiny airstrip in Nyoma in around 1960 but that was not capable of handling jet fighters and other air carriers. The contemplated air base will be full-fledged in all respects and will coordinate security activities and decisions to forestall any precipitate action by the Chinese troops. The closest defence post of India to the Nyoma base will be of Daulat Beg Oldi, which is at a higher altitude than the proposed Nyoma base, and is said to be the highest air base in the world. What has constrained India to build the fourth and the best equipped air base in Ladakh region is the constant irritation caused in bilateral relations by senseless yet recurring intrusions by the Chinese soldiers into our side of the border. A wily enemy that China is, India had to focus on strengthening her borders with China. Nyoma air base will be of immense support to our ground troops of ITBP organization whose men are supposed to keep vigil over the border.
We highly appreciate the vital decision of the Defence Ministry of raising a full- fledged air base in Nyoma, which is a very strategic place in Ladakh. The nation is eager that our military superiority along the border should be maintained at all costs and China should come out of the impression that she is dealing with a weak country that can be bullied or hoodwinked that easy. We would recommend that even the Daulat Beg Oldi post should be reinforced fully and heavily so that we are able to keep close watch over the movements of our two belligerent neighbours who are working in tandem to destabilize our social construct. We very earnestly want that China should understand that India is not what it was four decades ago when they had simply walked over her in Eastern area during the 1962 war. China has to understand that India is linking her border in Ladakh with road, rail and air links, the best ones one could expect in modern times. It means that India is determined to secure her borders against any foreign aggression. By demonstrating our defence capabilities, solid message will go across the border that things are no more easy for China or any other country to violate our borders and have their wayward policy of demonstrating hostility toward a big neighour.
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