And the country waits in anticipation to see what weapon is Modi going to use except banning the Chinese Apps?
Those who aren’t familiar with the India-China’s relationship, it won’t be easy for them to understand the current face-off at the Indo-China border, that in-fact is the India-Tibet border, as Tibetan-Indian activist Tenzin Tsundue rightly suggests.
There is a long history of betrayal since Indians have chanted- “Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai,” meaning Indians and Chinese are brothers. It was Nehru’s era when China backstabbed India in the war of 1962. India suffered a great setback, but it didn’t learn lessons soon enough. There were several small clashes in later years, including May 2013 standoff in Jammu Kashmir, Laddakh, Akasi Chin, and Doklam in June 2017. The latest clash happened on June 15th, when the Chinese soldiers killed 20 unarmed Indian soldiers with bats and clubs while they were engaging in a peaceful routine talk at the Line of Actual Control, without arms, according to the protocol. Chinese soldiers carried out this massacre, claiming many of their own lives, just within months after Xi Jinping enjoyed a very warm welcome in India to further India-China ties. It was right before the Virus spread from China to the entire world.
Seeing that every country right now is busy fighting the Virus, declining economy, and the USA holds the presidential election in November, China figures it is the best time to isolate and attack India in border states to take over more lands, as it has done before in every conflict with India.
There is a long history of betrayal since Indians have chanted- “Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai,” meaning Indians and Chinese are brothers. It was Nehru’s era when China backstabbed India in the war of 1962. India suffered a great setback, but it didn’t learn lessons soon enough.
China’s old tactic needs to stop, and there have been several rounds of high-level talks between the Indian and Chinese officials in the past few months to resolve the conflicts. But China is unwilling to retreat from the area it has recently occupied, which belongs to neither India nor China. The last high-level official meeting took place in Moscow last week, in which Defence Minister Rajnath Singh came face-to-face with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe. But there was no positive outcome of that meeting. Now the External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is in Moscow for talks with the Chinese. At the same time, intelligence reports suggest a substantial military buildup on the border on the Chinese side. If you wonder, is the Indian Army ready to respond to any provocation by China? You bet!
The world can not ignore that China is politically and culturally changing Tibet from within to integrate into China permanently. It is also causing troubles in the China sea and can’t wait to take over Taiwan. If this happens, it will also engage other big countries in a war willingly or unwillingly.
There is no doubt that India, at present, is dealing with numerous challenges at the home front, such as fighting the Virus, declining economy, etc. India also maintains a record in history for not attacking any country, so there is no eagerness to fight a war by Indians unless India is pushed to the edge.
One way of sending a strong response to China without firing a bullet would be to recognize Tibet’s sovereignty and getting the support of Tibetans worldwide in fighting the common enemy.
Thinking strategically and knowing that the current government had different priorities, the last thing it would like to do is to engage in war (without provocation) to make things worse for itself and the country. However, if India is attacked, it’s evident that China will get a befitting reply this time. Undoubtedly, there will be opposition at the home front if India engages in a war, which is understood. But there are no other options to push the Chinese back. When it comes to national security, India can’t afford to be naive, and the opposition parties can’t afford to play blame games to lose more grounds. However, India must choose its weapons carefully. And the country waits in anticipation to see what weapon is Modi going to use except banning the Chinese Apps?
One way of sending a strong response to China without firing a bullet would be to recognize Tibet’s sovereignty and getting the support of Tibetans worldwide in fighting the common enemy. If China can openly challenge India in the UN over the Kashmir issue and can’t wait to take over Gilgit Baltistan (after it already occupies a part of Kashmir), then why should India be hesitant about recognizing Tibet? The Status Quo on Indo-Sino foreign policy needs to change relatively faster than India is willing to do. It is a tough call at an unprecedented time, but there are long-term advantages to this.
We must try to avoid bloody conflicts. No war can ever bring true peace. Its losses are beyond comprehension. But suppose India engages in a battle as a last resort to protect the sovereignty of her land and save its people and soldiers’ lives, in that case, would it be seen only as a political choice? Perhaps not, because protecting its sovereignty and citizen’s lives would be a moral choice also.
However, it is startling to see how China, the greatest violator of human rights in Tibet, Magnolia, Hong Kong, Gilgit Baltistan; the torturer and killer of Uyghur Muslims, democracy and peace activists; the supporter of terrorism with Pakistan in Kashmir; the destroyer of India’s relationship with Nepal, Iran, and the protagonist of imperialism doesn’t concern many people in India or in the USA. Especially those influenced by communist ideology. It’s now time to wake up to new realities. China has said goodbye to Communism long ago.
We must try to avoid bloody conflicts. No war can ever bring true peace. Its losses are beyond comprehension. But suppose India engages in a battle as a last resort to protect the sovereignty of her land and save its people and soldiers’ lives, in that case, would it be seen only as a political choice? Perhaps not, because protecting its sovereignty and citizen’s lives would be a moral choice also.
Which country is going to sit back if it is attacked?
© Kalpna Singh-Chitnis
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Twitter: @AccessKalpna
