Dr Mehmood-ul-Hassan Khan
WORLD now relies with devastating COVID-19
whereas, India tries to extend its hegemonic de
signs in the South East Asia region. India’s latest border disputes with neighboring China, Nepal and Pakistan all indicate its aggressive and expansionist plans due to which regional peace is now at stake. Prime Minister Imran Khan drew the world’s attention to the tense situation in the region by terming the Hindutva Supremacist Modi Govt’s arrogant expansionist policies, similar to Nazi’s Lebensraum, a threat to India’s neighbours. India is now at dispute with Bangladesh through Citizenship Act, border disputes with Nepal & China and Pak istan threatened with false flag operation, Prime Minister Khan further added.
It is worthy to mention that relations between Pakistan and India have worsened sharply since Delhi illegally annexed Occupied Kashmir in August 2019. Now, Modi government tries to change domicile law for Kashmir, its accusations against Pakistan, threats and high frequency of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control have added to the acrimony. Imran and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi fully endorsed China’s actions in Ladakh. Prime Minister Khan in his second tweet maintained that the fascist Modi Govt not only a threat to India’s minorities by relegating them to 2nd class citizens’ status, but also threat to regional peace.
The China-India faceoff started over India constructing a road and building defense facilities in disputed Galwan area of Ladakh, which was also a flashpoint in the month-long war between the two in 1962. So far there have been at least four rounds of unarmed clashes between the troops of the two countries and military observers warn that the conflict can potentially escalate. Matching the imminent Indian threat and giving a befitting response, Chinese President Xi has ordered his troops to maintain heightened vigilance along the disputed border, while India has increased border deployment. Xi’s May 26 statement was made during his annual meeting with military representatives attending the National People’s Congress in Beijing. The Chinese leader was clearly referring to the recent escalation of tension along the nearly 3,500-kilometer Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China.
During a press briefing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson showed China’s strong commitment to safeguarding the security of its national territorial sovereignty, as well as safeguarding peace and stability in the China-India border areas. China has serious reservations about India’s interpretation of the LAC’s location and views the road-works as a potential threat to its hold over the remote border territory, including the strategic highway it built from Kashgar in western Xinjiang to Lhasa. In the past 10 years, India has been boosting its border infrastructure, with new roads and airbases inaugurated in remote Himalayan areas.
Moreover, according to GPS ongoing construction work is carried out only 10 kilometers away from Pak-China Karakoram road which poses serious security threat to ongoing mega projects of CPEC in the country. Indian media have reported that Chinese soldiers have in recent days allegedly intruded as far as three kilometers into India-controlled territory. On the contrary, China accused India of being responsible for “illegal” construction of defense facilities across the border into Chinese territory in the Galwan valley in Ladakh. Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi consulted with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat. As reported in Indian national media, on May 22, India’s army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane dashed off to Leh, the capital of Ladakh territory which was carved out of India-occupied Kashmir last August, to take stock of the situation. On the other hand, the US President Donald Trump offered to mediate the India-China border standoff expressed his fear that the jostling was serious and could turn into an unintended full-blown military action.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed concern over the construction of airstrip and other infrastructure in the disputed territory of Ladakh. He warned that illegal constructions by India could have serious consequences for peace. He said China did not want confrontation with India and desired to sort out issues through dialogue. However, China could not remain oblivious to India’s illegal constructions. Furthermore, Indian paramount lust for “regional” supremacy forced it to dispute with Nepal and even impeded Afghan peace process. China-India standoff has global impact too. Thousands of troops moved into the disputed area 14,000 feet up in the Himalayas after skirmishes broke out on 5 May near Pangong Lake in Ladakh and then on 9 May in North Sikkim, leaving more than 100 soldiers injured. Both share a 2,167-mile-long border. Together, their populations are about 2.7 billion, more than a third of the world’s total. Both have achieved rapid economic development in recent decades and increased their territorial ambitions. Both have nuclear weapons too so any further escalation would be dangerous for regional peace and world security as well. Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said India should stop construction activities on its border and withdraw security forces from the Kalapani region and restore status quo. He said a solution to the border dispute should be found urgently. He elaborated that the most appropriate way of doing this would be to withdraw security forces from Kalapani and hand over the above territories back to Nepal.
Bangladesh is also facing the music on the issue of Indian new laws i.e. CAA and NRC. The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA), combined with the proposed National Population Register (NPR), which is the first step to a nationwide NRC (National Register of Citizens), is likely to be disastrous for neighbouring countries. Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina termed India’s new citizenship law unnecessary and problematic. Subsequent to the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019, Bangladesh cancelled several high-level meetings to India that included the visits of Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen. India is striving hard to achieve its hegemonic designs in the region by disturbing regional power chess board through creating serious border disputes with its neighbours. Being prominent regional expert on CPEC & BRI, I fear that the latest China-India standoff may escalate, as Indian trucks have allegedly moved equipment inside the Chinese side of LAC. Moreover, India in recent days has illegally constructed defence facilities across the border into Chinese territory in the Galwan Valley region, leaving Chinese border defence troops with no other options but to make necessary moves in response, and mounting the risk of escalating standoffs and conflicts between the two sides.
—The writer is Director, Geopolitics/Economics Member Board of Experts, CGSS.
