India's chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat said if the ongoing diplomatic and military talks with China do not lead to a breakthrough in the stalled troop disengagement and de-escalation in eastern Ladakh, the country is keeping its “military options” open. In a clear signal of intent to China, Gen Rawat said the Indian armed forces “remain prepared for military actions” if “peaceful efforts” through talks did not succeed in restoring the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as it existed in April. The statement appears aimed at conveying that a prolonged stand-off with Chinese troops camping in certain areas like Pangong and Depsang will not be acceptable.
“Military options to deal with transgressions by the Chinese army in Ladakh are there, but they will be exercised only if talks at the military and the diplomatic level fail,” Gen Rawat said. The military confrontation in Ladakh is in its fourth month now, with China refusing to complete the proposed troop disengagement in Pangong Tso and Gogra as well as de-escalate the military build-up in the strategically-located Depsang Plains-Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector.
The Indian defence establishment had presented a range of options for ‘limited’ military action in the aftermath of the bloody clashes in Galwan Valley, which left 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops dead. The options range from forcible eviction of Chinese soldiers from Indian territory to a calibrated and localised conflict in conjunction with political, diplomatic and economic measures. But the political leadership will have to take the final decision. A ‘counter-incursion’ by Indian forces into Chinese territory in some other sector in order to gain some leverage in negotiations remains a more feasible option. “Our forces can also go across the LAC and sit on China’s territory somewhere else as a bargaining chip,” a senior official said.
China shows no intent of budging
China is showing no intent of disengaging from the troop confrontation in eastern Ladakh, while further digging in its heels by continuing to build roads, bridges, helipads and other military infrastructure along the line of actual control (LAC) to back its troops at the actual face-off sites. “China is indulging in ping-pong tactics by shuttling the ball between diplomatic and military talks, without any serious attempt at conflict resolution. There is no change in the ground situation,” said a senior military official.
India, of course, has counter-deployed to match the build-up of troops, artillery, tanks and other heavy weaponry by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in all the three sectors of the 3,488-km long LAC stretching from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
The strategy being finalised for any contingency as well as the long haul in the already well over 100-day military confrontation in eastern Ladakh was discussed in a flurry of top-level meetings over last wee.
