INDIA is a hostile neighbour and it has proved so with consistent and historic record of bad behaviour and creating border disputes with all the countries in its neighbourhood. Driven by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vainglorious jingoism at home and his quest for hegemony in the region, it now appears to be triggering another standoff with India — this time in the Ladakh region — after souring relations with Nepal on the border dispute.
The flare up even has led to a scuffle between troops from both sides that resulted in multiple Indian security personnel being detained by Chinese forces. The Himalayan border standoff was triggered by India’s construction of roads and air strips in the region, which prompted a strong response from the Chinese side. The Indian army never misses any opportunity of unleashing atrocities against innocent and armless Kashmiri people and especially ever since August last year when it revoked the special status of the disputed territory, it has kept the Kashmiri people under a relentless lockdown. However, the befitting response from China, which has always tried to maintain peaceful relations with its neighbours, has shown the Indians the true worth of their army. The continued increase in pressure by Chinese troops on the border of Sikkim and Ladakh has left the Modi government and its army with few options. Indeed China’s military capability is far higher and advanced than India and if the latter tried to provoke the situation, the loser will be India itself. History is also testimony to it. The Indians would not have forgotten the thrash it received from Chinese in 1962 in both North Eastern and North Western line of Actual Line of Control. It will be better for the Indian government to shun its hegemonic designs in the region and rather sit with the neighbouring countries to resolve its outstanding border disputes. Kashmir is a disputed territory and there are several UNSC resolutions on it. Instead of trying to suppress the voice of Kashmiris in which it has failed miserably over the last seven decades, the Indian government should accept their right of self-determination for larger peace and stability in the region.