LAC face-off: Prepare for long haul

The talks on Saturday between Indian and Chinese military commanders at the Chushul-Moldo border point regarding the escalating tensions along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh did not produce a breakthrough as is evident from the Ministry of External Affairs’ anodyne press statement that the talks had taken place in a “cordial and positive atmosphere” and that the two sides had agreed to keep talking, both at military and diplomatic levels. While it is heartening that the two sides seem committed, at least in their rhetoric, to resolving the current tensions through dialogue, the fact that the military stalemate continues and is likely to do so for several weeks, if not months, is a matter of serious concern. It does seem that the month-long face-off along multiple points in eastern Ladakh is nowhere near ending. In the Galwan Nala and Pangong Tso areas, for instance, where Chinese troops are reported to have moved several kilometres into the Indian side of the LAC, they have dug in their heels, pitched tents, moved in heavy weapons and deployed large numbers of soldiers. It is evident that China is preparing for a long haul. India will need to step up its own presence and preparedness not just in eastern Ladakh but across all sectors of the LAC.

Over the past several weeks, the Narendra Modi government has maintained that Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in mere scuffles at the LAC and that the spat near Pangong Tso was about patrols transgressing a fuzzy border. It is evident now that far more serious issues underlie the current face-off. Chinese troops have moved into areas that have for long been understood to be Indian territory and are trying to push Indian presence further back. It is time the government ended its opacity on what is happening at the LAC. More transparency is necessary on the challenges India is up against in the Himalayan heights.

In the run-up to the recent talks, Indian officials said they would be telling their Chinese counterparts to pull back to pre-April positions. It does seem that the Chinese are unwilling to do so. So how does Delhi propose to persuade Beijing to restore the status quo ante in Ladakh? Dealing with the Chinese is never easy. The government should take opposition parties and the people at large into confidence through greater transparency and consultations and build an internal consensus on how to deal with Beijing in general and with its repeated transgressions on the borders in particular. Such a consensus will strengthen the government’s hands to take tougher actions that may be required in the weeks to come.