(TibetanReview.net, Aug30’22) – The difference of perception in where the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between Chinese occupied Tibet and the eastern part of India’s Union Territory of Ladakh lies has come to the fore again when China objected to Ladakhi herdsmen grazing their herds in Demchok over Aug 21-22. The Indian military has said such incidents were routine and resolved through talks.
Some Indian villagers were stopped from taking their livestock to their traditional grazing grounds by Chinese soldiers in the Demchok area of eastern Ladakh last week, which led to talks between the rival military commanders in the area to resolve the issue, reported the timesofindia.com Aug 29.
There was, however, “no face-off or scuffle” during the incident near the Saddle Pass at the Charding Ninglung Nallah (CNN) track junction at Demchok on Aug 21-22, the report cited Indian defence sources as saying.
The report noted that there were three major face-off sites in the continuing military confrontation between India and China in eastern Ladakh since May 2020 – the CNN track junction in Demchok, Patrolling Point-15 (PP-15) near the Kugrang Nallah in the Chang Chenmo sector, and the strategically-important Depsang Bulge area.
In the latest incident, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops were reported to have strongly objected to the presence of Indian graziers in what is perceived to be Indian territory near the Saddle Pass located at an altitude of around 13,800-feet. The villagers have been using the area as grazing grounds and campsites for a long time.
After the Indian graziers were stopped by the Chinese, the military commanders on the ground from the two sides talked to resolve the issue, the report said.
“Local commanders at different stretches along the LAC routinely talk to each other to resolve such issues and maintain peace and tranquillity as per established protocols and norms. It happens quite frequently,” the report quoted an Indian source as saying.
* * *
Meanwhile, India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has said Aug 29 that the state of the border will determine the state of the relationship between the two countries.
Speaking at the launch of Asia Society Policy Institute, the Minister said that for the ties to return to a positive trajectory and remain sustainable, they must be based on “mutual sensitivity, mutual respect and mutual interest,” reported the UNI news service Aug 29.
He has said the Asian Century requires an effective management of the contradictions of our continent.
He has further said sovereignty and territorial integrity will have to be respected and initiatives that impact the region must be consultative, not unilateral.