Thupstan Chhewang
Before I leave Leh for Chumur village in the south-east, the scene of the latest Chinese incursion into our territory, I shuffle through the pages of "The Jammu and Kashmir Year Book and Who's Who 987" to refresh my memory about the Dragon's approach towards Jammu and Kashmir as a whole and Leh district (one of the two districts constituting the Ladakh region of India's northernmost State) in particular.
The following highlights catch my eye :-
March 16, 1956 : Chinese Premier Chou (now spelt as Zhou) En-Iai, tells Indian envoy: people of Kashmir have already expressed their will regarding accession with Indian Union.
May 31, 1962 : China tells India: her attitude of "never getting involved in dispute over Kashmir is well known throughout world."
October 20, 1962 : Chinese launch massive attack in Ladakh.
October 26, 1962 : National emergency declared.
November 21, 1962 : China declares unilateral ceasefire after occupying 14500 square miles in Ladakh.
December 20, 1962 : According to USIS (United States Information Service) release in Delhi "Srinagar is major supply base. For India fertile Vale is lifeline to Communist-threatened Ladakh.
March 2, 1963 : Pakistan gives away 2200 square miles of State territory to China under boundary agreement.
April 10, 1963 : Zhou En-Iai confirms Pakistan had assured him that she joined SEATO (September 8, 1954) and Baghdad Pact (September 23, 1955) only go gain political and military ascendancy over India.
April 29, 1963 : Sino-Pak agreement providing direct air link "unfortunate breach of free world solidarity", according to US State Department.
February 22, 1964 : Zhou-Ayub (Pakistani military dictator Ayub Khan) discuss Kashmir in Rawalpindi.
March, 28, 1965 : Sheikh Abdullah meets Zhou En-Lai at Alergiers.
September 19, 1965 : China says it gives "all-out support to people of Kashmir in their struggle for right of self-determination.
June 4, 1974 : China agrees to set up a textile mill in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
March 4, 1975 : China describes Kashmir accord (between Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Abdullah) as Indian annexation of Kashmir.
From 1956 to 1975 China underwent a total change in its perception. Its friendly appearance disappeared altogether and it started showing its true colours as an expansionist force. Its premier had no hesitation in shaking hands with Sheikh Abdullah in an alien territory only to cry foul when the Kashmir leader showed realistic appreciation of the home turf.
Not surprisingly, therefore, China has gone a step ahead of late. It has been desperately trying off and on to nibble into the Leh district clearly not satisfied with having forcibly captured a big part of it in 1962. I am often taken aback by the argument that the boundary excesses committed by China are an outcome of difference in perception about what exactly constitutes the boundary between India and China. It amounts to finding justification for Chinese violations. It is true that the boundary between China and India is not clearly demarcated. Just because a line has not been drawn does not mean that we should plead ignorance about the areas that we have been using for centuries for habitation and grazing purposes in particular.
There has actually been no clear-cut boundary between China and Leh district in the past too. For, there was no geographical proximity between the two. Leh was adjoining Tibet with which it had strong spiritual ties fostered by the common Buddhist bond and a spirit of mutual tolerance and accommodation. Monks from Leh travelled to Tibet for higher studies while those from Tibet blessed the Ladakh region with their teachings.
In history there are references about Mongolia having created problem for Ladakh but there has been no trouble from China with Tibet standing as a bulwark in the middle. It is after China turned red, annexed Tibet and exiled its temporal and spiritual head His Holiness Dalai Lama that it has begun poking into Leh district. In Leh district, Chumur village is the latest victim of the Chinese designs.
Accompanied by Mr Chering Dorjay, former Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh (LAHDC-Leh),Mr. Nawang Norboo,a former Councillor and a few others I reach Chumur Village around I 1.30 a.m. on September 18. We have tea with the Lama in charge of Chumur gonpa, monks and a few villagers. They all seem to be worried. They were scared about the threat to their abode from the Chinese and were critical of the callous attitude of security forces, Government and the local administration.
We then move towards the actual site of the Chinese raid - eight kilometres away. We drive for six kilometres before a rough passage passing as a motorable road disappears.We are required to cover the rest of distance on foot. The site of incursion is the place where Paranglha- Chhu river - also known as Spiti Chhu enters the Tibetan (Chinese) territory) The stream reeenters Indian Territory at Sumdah and flows through Kinnaur and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. On the left side of river, there is no mark to divide border but just a narrow valley which is treated as the boundary between the two countries.
We learnt that on August 22 morning two Chinese helicopters violated international border and landed on a small flat piece of land. A version that they had landed on the Tibetan side of the border is not convincing. In that event the occupants of the flying machines would have had to walk at least one kilometre to cause the damage that they have done.
They landed on our side of the border to dismantle 17 of our bunkers. They have also dismantled a map of India drawn by arranging small white pieces of stones on a flat area near one of the bunkers.We found lot of white small round stones scattered near a dismantled bunker. The number of Chinese soldiers who acted as wreckers of our assets is said to be 14.
The forced entry of helicopters and 14 members of the People Liberation Army was observed by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police from its observation post located near Chumur Village which is about eight km from the site of incursion.
We are surprised to know that the incursion was reported by ITBP and ITBF (Indo-Tibetan Border Force) on August 25 whereas it has taken place on August 22. It is confirmed by the local villagers and official sources who don't wish to be identified. Why there should be an anomaly like this is not clear. It is possibly because at official levels there is a constant attempt to downplay Chinese mischief.
To attribute the Chinese interference to "difference in perceptions" is to overlook the concerns of our villagers living in faraway areas and shepherds who are discovering to their perils that their pastures face a threat of being swallowed by another country. I instantly recall what Mr Dorjay as the CEC had written in the Border Affairs in 2009 under the title "why should we retreat from our territory?" about the repeated Chinese misadventures into Leh district.
He had recorded in detail :-
It all began last winter - in December 2008 to be precise. The people of Kuyul and Demchok met me in Leh. They complained that they were being harassed by Chinese army. Their experience was harrowing in Skakjung winter pasture land where they had taken their goat and sheep for grazing.
The pasture was frequented by the inhabitants of Tsaga, Nyoma, Mug and Rongo apart from of course those from Kuyul and Demchok. Before I proceed further let me clarify why the Skakjung pasture is popular during harsh cold winter of Leh district at a height of about 14000 feet. The entire land measuring 60 kilometres by 5 kilometres is to the north of the Indus and is prohibited for grazing during summer. The result is that the grass is preserved for winter for lakhs of goats, sheep and yaks to savour and survive.
The entire movement of people and livestock is regulated through practices that have been in existence for centuries. It is in fact in keeping with the cycle of migration that they strictly adhere to all through the year. Skakjung figures in their winter itinerary.
The whole sequence is a tribute to the ingenuity of the nomadic population which have evolved a system for the upkeep of their animals for which the modern education and technology have found no alternative as yet. Skakjung is bordering Tibet which is under the Chinese occupation. It is virtually our lifeline during winter. What are we without our livestock which includes globally famous pashmina goat?
What the people of Kuyul and Demchok told me was startling. They said they had gone with their animals in the vast Skakjung belt to the point they would go every year. This time, however, they had an entirely different experience. As always they camped in the territory they knew was theirs. Much to their surprise one day they found the Chinese troops at their doorstep. They were asked to vacate the area as they were told that it was part of China.
There were heated arguments. They protested saying that they had been visiting the spot for generations. In support of their argument they pointed to the enclosures for animals and other tell-tale signs like fireplaces and indigenous toilets. The Chinese troops left after handing out a threat that they should not been seen at the same venue again. A feature of these exchanges was that the Chinese army had brought a Tibetan interpreter along to communicate with the Ladakhi nomads.
Our nomads decided to stay put. The Chinese came again and tore apart a tent of one family that was staying within our territory but closest to their border. The nomads repaired the tent and did not leave the place. There was no let-up in the Chinese efforts. They came for the third time with enhanced strength, fully armed and in vehicles accompanied by a video cameraman. They again took out their anger on the tent that they had damaged earlier. They dug it up and set it on fire at a distance. While leaving they announced that they would not permit any human or animal settlement in this area again.
On hearing the hair-raising tale I immediately left Leh for the actual spot of occurrence along with the local councillor, Mr Nawang Norbu, and some government officials. I took care to take a new tent along with me. I met the family that was hit by the Chinese and gave them the tent. I met everybody around and inquired from them about their welllbeing.AII of them expressed anxiety about the absence of drinking water as the nearby Indus was totally frozen at that time of the year. I promised them that the hand pumps would be installed very soon - something that I am satisfied to note is about to be completed shortly. The argument made then is relevant even today and for all times to come: the people should feel safe in their homeland and those in charge of ensuring their safety and security against foreign invasion should ensure that they continue to use the land and pastures that they have done so far. If their territory shrinks it is the country that suffers.
There is an official document emanating from Leh district that notes :-
"It is apprehended that the members of PLA of China may come again. The seriousness of the matter may be imagined from the fact that they are not even accepting it a disputed area but claiming it as their territory. Keeping in view the seriousness of the issue it needs a detailed estimation by the experts of Indo-China matters. Villagers & shepherds should be consulted and taken into confidence while planning any activity in the area as shepherds are the second line untrained but successfullbirds-view watchers of our borders. They have played an important role during Kargil War by informing about the activity of enemy across other side (Hanu). Moreover the age old grazing rights of local shepherds and villagers need to be protected in the area"
Why should we not heed to it? We ought to keep our eyes and ears wide open. It is only too well known that Pakistan has virtually given a free hand to China in Gilgit region of J&K which it is illegally occupying. There is a Chinese market in the main Gilgit town and China's contribution towards building the Karakoram highway is hardly a secret. Responsible people have said that Chinese armed forces too are being increasingly spotted in and around Gilgit.
It is possible that together Pakistan and China are building - if they have not already done so - army and air base against India and the erstwhile Soviet Union on the one hand and the US forces active in Afghanistan on the other hand. My own information is that the Chinese army men have been seen moving around across the Line of Control in our Batalik sector. This is the same area that Pakistan had used to push in its armed men only to be pushed back in the Kargil war of 1999. Is some sort of coalition being formed against India with China agreeing to lend a helping hand to Pakistan to avenge its earlier humiliation?
(The writer is one of the topmost social and political figures of Leh district.)
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