Rising Kashmir
Faisul Yaseen
September 20, 2015
If they come here, we also go there: Army
Srinagar, Sep 20: 
In April 2013, reported incursions of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) in Daulat Beg Oldie in the cold desert region of Ladakh made mainstream Indian media hysterical but last month PLA hosted Indian Army at the same location.
Does it imply that the Government of India (GoI) has given up its claim on Daulat Beg Oldie?
PRO Army, Lt Col Manish Kumar said Indian Army and the PLA differ in perception regarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which divides the territories between India and China.
The 4056-km long LAC passes through Jammu Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
Lt Col Kumar said there was a mechanism in place for border post management and the two armies were holding border post meetings at different locations.
Defence sources said earlier the Indian Army only held border post meetings with the Chinese Army at Spanggur, Nathu La and Bumla but now the two armies have added two more sectors at Daulat Beg Oldiee and Kibithu.
Daulat Beg Oldie comes under the domain of 14 Corps.
PRO Defence Northern Command, Col S D Goswami said LAC is matter of perception and if the PLA ventures into the Indian territory, Indian Army ventures into Chinese territory.
“If they come here, we also go there,” he said.
Col Goswami said the two armies conduct patrolling of the areas as per their perception.
However, he said one thing was sure that Daulat Beg Oldie was not on the Chinese side.
“Daulat Beg Oldie for sure is on our side,” Col Goswami said.
In April 2013, Daulat Beg Oldie region, a historic spot on the famed Silk Route, was in news over reports of Chinese incursion.
The confrontation between the two armies had reached to such a level that the Indian Air Force (AIF) landed its biggest war plane C 130J-30 Super Hercules aircraft at the world’s highest Daulat Beg Oldie airstrip, which is located at 16,614 feet in the Aksai Chin.
An airstrip in Daulat Beg Oldie was built during the Indo-China War in 1962 and came into prominence when packet aircraft of the IAF operated between 1962 and 1965.
After the 1962 war, India claimed that China was occupying about 33,000 sq km of its territory in the Aksai Chin region of Ladakh.
In response, China alleged that India was occupying 90,000 square km and even went on saying that Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh is actually part of its territory.
Both New Delhi and Beijing have tried to mend their relations over the decades.
However, China’s oft repeated claim for Arunachal Pradesh and Beijing’s proximity with Islamabad is not going well with New Delhi.
Likewise, India’s posture on Tibet initially and providing asylum to Dalai Lama was taken seriously by China.
Each side has been improving its military and logistics capabilities in the region and reinforcing their capabilities in the area, despite showing interest in negotiations.
The airbases that India of late has started reconstructing were built for troop movement prior to 1962 war but abandoned by the Indian Army in 1966.
However, the situation along LAC has been relatively peaceful since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China earlier this year but whether or not the peace is a result of GoI having given up Daulat Beg Oldie remains to be seen.
