Sino-Pak intensify activities around Indian borders

India joining western nations in their demand for an international probe on Beijing’s COVID-19 mishandling, sees augmented military movements, increased troop deployments and war-machinery along LoC, LaC, and international border

New Delhi: The diplomatic pressure exerted by India on the international front against China, seeking a probe on its alleged mishandling of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, is been responded through military measures by Beijing.

Soon after the incident of fisticuffs between Indian and Chinese troops at the Naku La sector in north Sikkim, Beijing started aggressively flexing its military muscle around the Indian borders. Joining China in its bid to mount troubles for India, Pakistan the pawn of Beijing has also amplified its presence in the border regions.

Augmented military movements are been recorded in Jammu-Kashmir along the Line of Actual Control (LaC), the Line of Control (LoC), and the International Border. China has increased the deployment of soldiers along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, and Pakistan has deployed additional Army divisions along the International Border in Samba and Hiranagar sectors. Apart from bringing the artillery forward, Pakistan has also deployed anti-aircraft guns in the region.

Anti-Aircraft Guns

Sources in the armed forces reported that since April, the Pakistani army has intensified activities along the areas abutting the LoC. It was initially thought to be a part of Pakistan’s strategy to ensure the infiltration of terrorists in Jammu-Kashmir, but the deployment has now raised some questions. Pakistan has positioned the artillery forward and also deployed anti-aircraft guns along the LoC during the past 15 days. 

Cease-Fire Violations

According to official sources, maximum cease-fire violations by the Pakistan Army were carried out in the Punch sector and along the International Border in the Hiranagar sector in April. Based on the assessment of these activities and intelligence reports, it was learned that Pakistan carried out this action not only to ensure infiltration but by diverting the attention of the Indian Army with this, it sped up land penetration preparations in forward areas.

Deployed Operational Centers amid Towns

The Pakistan Army, under General Qamar Bajwa, has also established its operational centers amid forward civilian towns. Bajwa has made partial changes in his army’s order of battle based on which it can be said that it is going to change in the next few days. Government analysts said that while unusual activity has been registered in the Pakistan Army across the LoC and International Border, activities of the Chinese Army, too, intensified during the same period along the LaC in East Ladakh.

China Ups Ante 

In three separate incidents the Indian army troops clashed with the Chinese army. Indian soldiers and their Chinese counterparts confronted each other with banners riding in their patrol boats on the Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake that abuts the Tibetan autonomous region. 

Beijing has also strategically increased troop deployment in the Aksai Chin area. This has happened for the first time in two decades. India too responded as it flew fighter planes in areas abutting China for the first time.

Capable of Giving a Befitting Reply 

Speaking to The News21, a senior army officer of the Northern Command said that Indian forces are monitoring all the activities taking place along the International Border as well as across the LaC that abuts China in East Ladakh. 

“We are capable of dealing with any situation. Considering the intentions of the neighboring countries, we have made extensive preparations. Our approach is never to initiate a fight, but a befitting reply will be delivered to whoever initiates action against us,” the officer said in a telephonic conversation. 

China’s Counter Pressure for COVID-19 Uproar

In March, for first-time India formally articulated its stand on the COVID-19 outbreak. Prime Minister Narendra Modi backed reform in the World Health Organization and referred to the need for transparency and accountability.

The push for the ‘impartial evaluation’ inquiry, supported by New Delhi, came from Australia and the European Union. The 62 countries have backed the joint effort include Bangladesh, Canada, Russia, Indonesia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Japan. 

A senior defense analyst pointed out that Beijing which has always been looking for an excuse to move its troops forward in bids to make in-roads in Indian territory scavenged upon this development. 

“India by joining the western nations in demanding international probe in the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a major challenge to China’s influence in the subcontinent. While bitterness has increased between the western nations and China because of the COVID-19 crisis, on the same hand ties have deepened between them and India. China is trying to pressure India by escalating military activities in the Northeast as well as the areas adjoining Ladakh,” the analyst explained.

He further added that nations like Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Afghanistan have not signed on the draft resolution. “This indicates that they are forced to remain neutral in the situation due to their compounding debt to China. Beijing has got an unchecked control on their political and diplomatic functioning through its debt trap,” he said.