China and India are not in the best terms with each other, and that is a fact well accepted. Anyone who has followed this conflict closely will definitely guess that all this hullabaloo is only about asserting dominance over the South China Sea – around which China and Japan have already been at loggerheads with each other.
It is foolish to ignore the serious threats India has been bombarded with. China has abundant options with itself. It can either spark a conflict by claiming that Arunachal Pradesh is South Tibet or India’s “right” on Dokhlam. Furthermore, one better not forget Aksai-Chin.
China has been very successful in diverting all the attention of India to the Sino-Indian border conflict because of Arunachal Pradesh, whereas its more notorious activities in the Himalayan regions remain hidden.
China, according to me, will not infiltrate India via Arunachal or Sikkim, but Uttarakhand. While many might believe that it is a long shot, let me explain why it isn’t:
1. Diverting attention
Arunachal Pradesh is a litmus test for China to test how much vigilance the country still has in the border. In any time of conflict, it is clear target that kahin pe nigaahein aur kahin pe nishaana exists. What I mean is, they will definitely not enter the territory which has been MADE TO gain such popularity. Arunachal is just a pawn to drive our attention away from Uttarakhand.
Also read: Unusual Comparisons: Here Is Why India And China Are Ex-Lovers
2. Empty border villages
Border communities are very important because they live near international borders and act as sentinels to security forces. Since they have more and better access to land, they are sharp in detecting the presence of any “outsider”. Even if they might not detect any infiltration activity first hand, they can still tell the security forces of any suspicious people around the border.
A staggering 3500 villages in Uttarakhand are empty because of mass migration to cities in search of livelihood. You think China is not aware of ghost villages at the border? The most important thing to note is: these villages generally belong to higher altitude regions of Uttarakhand where there is generally less presence of the Army.
Some remaining locals have reported suspicious border activities and Chinese troupes marching around the mountains.
What now?
3. Ever heard of Kalapani?
I’m definitely talking about the Andaman Islands.
Kalapani is located in the Pithoragarh district and is under the control of Indo-Tibetan Border Police. However, there is an 80.5-km long extremely porous border with Nepal, while 344 Km long border with China. There are no clear border demarcations. Retired IAS Officer SS Pangti explains how the region of Kalapani itself is in conflict with Nepal. Nepal claims it as its own land and has launched movements in the past to reclaim its land. China has a very lucrative option to join hands with Nepal there.
In the midst of all this, we are concentrated on being lapdogs of the US. India is being used by the US, in the same manner, Pakistan was used during the Cold War. And look what happened to Pakistan. Perhaps that is how all the hyper-militaristic nations end. Seems like we are not practicing diplomacy where it is really needed.
India, Nepal, and China have a joint project called Pancheshwar Dam in the Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand. Wow.
Other Recommendations:
http://edtimes.in/2017/07/indo-china-border-disputes-demystified/
