Tarun Upadhyay

JAMMU, June 17: As situation along Line of Actual Control in Galwan valley continues to remain tense after 20 Indian soldiers including Colonel were martyred, top security experts of the country said the time has come to call Chinese bluff and if the negotiation don’t yield result then India shouldn’t rule out the military options.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said sacrifice of soldiers along with borders will not go in vain and India can give befitting reply if instigated. According to media reports, United States Intelligence reports have suggested Chinese side suffered 35 fatalities.
“ We have to hold talks from the position of strength. Chinese popularity is already at its nadir. If they (China) don’t agree or understand diplomatic language then we should not be shy of using military options also,” said Major General (Retd) BK Sharma, Director United Service Institution India, a premier think tank.

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Excelsior News interviewed Gen Sharma and security expert Sameer Patil, who had earlier worked with National Security Council Secretariat, on the Chinese game plan for this military adventurism.
Sameer said the Chinese have always used such kind of tactics, border skirmishes, though this times they turned up violent, to flare up border tension when ever border resolution talks are taking place. He said the objective of Chinese is to shift focus from border resolution to border management which he says suits Chinese more.
“It is high time that we should tell firmly China to spell out its version of Actual Line of Control,” said Sameer. He said there is also a possibility that Chinese probably wanted to send a message to India not to object to its China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes through Gilgit Baltistan. India has categorically stated that Gilgit Baltistan is part of the India and has in the past stopped its funding citing this reason. Security experts believe, Chinese probably were not happy with Indian response.
“Though it is still in the realm of speculation but one can draw conclusion which do point to this factor,” said Sameer.
The construction of the 255-km long Darbuk-Shyokh-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) all-weather road many believe possibly is the most consequential triggering point for China to take this kind of action. Its strategic importance lies in the fact that this road connects Leh to DBO, virtually at the base of the Karakoram Pass that separates China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region from Ladakh.
“DBO is very important and crucial from Indian security perspective. By using ALG (advance landing ground) strip there and developing road to Galwan valley Indian defence posturing becomes strong and can project threat to Aski, Chin, which is why China is making such posturing,” said Gen Sharma.
The security experts believe that while India wants an early settlement of border issue but China is neither in hurry nor mood for it as it is the pressure point China wants to use against India as long as the issue of Tibet and our claim on Gilgit Baltistan are not resolved.
With regard to current situation, Gen Sharma said: “Chinese start negotiation from maximalist position and when other side brings its own leverage on the table, then they start making accommodation. They have ceded land in the past also. Here they tried maximalist position, If they know India will not be cowed down by this such military strategy they will have not other choice but to agree to accommodation.”
“China understands that India is emerging economic giant and it can’t afford to have belligerent India. But we have to stand firm and ask them to restore April 25 position.”
The security experts said the India has to send strong message to China that it can’t cow down us and unlike in the past, when they walked away by changing border goal post, this time they are not allowed to walk out without proper settlement of the issue.
The experts believe that this is also the time for developing a long term strategic mechanism to respond to Chinese posturing as such situation can arise again.
Sameer believes that to corner China , India can develop leverage with ‘D10’ club of democratic partners, including G7 countries – UK, US, Italy, Germany, France, Japan and Canada – plus Australia, South Korea and India, which are also aiming to create alternative suppliers of 5G equipment and other technologies to avoid relying on China.
He says India has to take long term view of countering Chinese techonolgy empire and its strategic game plan.
Gen Sharma says that India has to tell China to accept modus Vivendi and respect India’s concern and political class should make it clear to China with an sense of strength and urgency too.

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