Major General AK Bardalai, Veteran (Indian Army). He commanded an infantry battalion in Siachen Glacier, was the Deputy Head of the Mission and Deputy Force Commander of a UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Middle East and the Commandant of Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan.
The Story thus Far
The year 2020 has been one of the most difficult years for the world. COVID 19 brought the entire world on its knees. India initially took pride in its ability to fight the pandemic until it crossed the figure of one lakh. The figure continues to mount. As if that was not enough, another issue that has made and continues to make headlines pertains to China’s incursion in the Galwan Valley, Depsang Plateau and its forward movement into Indian territory by way of 8 km in Pangong Tso Lake in Eastern Ladakh.
The development in Eastern Ladakh is quite different from the impact of the pandemic. It was a question of national sovereignty! For the national media, it was a field day for a while. In any event, to briefly recount the events, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at a number of places in Eastern Ladakh sometime in the month of May this year. The most prominent locations are Galwan and Pangong Tso Lake. After the failure to convince the PLA to return and maintain the status quo, the first attempt was by gradual build-up of troops by India and then instituting high-level military meeting on June 6 for disengagement. Soon after the symbolic extrication began, there was an unfortunate incident of an altercation between the Indian Army (IA) and PLA on the night of June 15. The event resulted in the death of the Commanding Officer of 16 BIHAR (the infantry battalion of Bihar Regiment) and nineteen other ranks. The casualty on the PLA’s side is reported to be more than 40 although this is not yet borne out by the state. What took place thereafter was a massive build-up of forces on either side of the border, taking the two Asian giants almost to the brink of war. While talks to diffuse the situation continued both at military and diplomatic levels, India’s Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited Leh and addressed the Indian troops on July 3.
The PM made one important strategic communication to China, “This much is enough and no more. We have enough to stop you from your further misadventure. This is not 1962 and there will be tremendous loss on both sides. So better don’t try to push us anymore.” Modi talked of not letting our soldiers’ sacrifice go in vain. This however is not about taking military revenge but giving a boost to India’s military capability.
War is not an option. Therefore, as envisaged, slow, calibrated and limited disengagement has begun albeit maintaining deterrence on the border. While there are reports of visible disengagement from the Galwan Valley, the story of the Pangong Tso Lake is slightly different. Over a period of time, the Indian perception of the LAC has been that the LAC runs along Finger 8 and that the PLA has reached Finger 4 (to the West and towards the Indian side). Convincing the PLA to go back to their side of the LAC will be a challenge. Evicting the PLA from Finger 8 (fingers are mountain spurs coming towards the lake) is not an easy decision. It will therefore, depend on how China can be convinced that there are other options to settle our differences than the disastrous consequences of a war. As at the time of writing, media reports suggest that the PLA has moved back to an area that abuts Finger 5. Whether the PLA would move back to Finger 8 is a moot question.
