India Stuck in Quicksand after Losing Ladakh
According to sources, ex-ISI Chief, the late General Hameed Gul had predicted Narendra Modi will himself break India into pieces. Now there is no room left for doubt that the brutal Modi’s aggressive actions in the region are beginning to vindicate the prediction.
In his column written for Dunya News, Muhammad Abdullah Hameed Gul, son of the late General Hameed Gul, has written that after removing the special status of Indian Occupied Kashmir, when India tried to play games in the disputed region of Ladakh, the resulting clashes led to humiliation for India at the hands of China. This means that China has given the clear message that if India tries to unilaterally change the status of the disputed territory, it will have to suffer the consequences.
Muhammad Abdullah Hameed Gul said that Ladakh is to the east of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region and on the border with China. In the East it meets the border of Aksai Chin and Southeastern Xinjiang. Its borders are also close to Pakistan’s northern areas and Siachen, the world’s highest battleground. After the revocation of Article 370 and 35A, that ended the special status of the Kashmir Valley, Ladakh was made into a union territory.
Muhammad Abdullah Hameed Gul said that there are two kinds of border between India and China. One is called Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the other is Chinese Claim Line (CCL). The Pangong lake is also disputed between the two nations. Two-thirds of this 134 km long lake is currently under Chinese control. This lake is particularly important because it links Ladakh with Tibet. The Pangong lake is an L-shape from a North to East direction in the Galwan Valley. The surrounding areas are called fingers and the whole area is divided in eight fingers. India claims that the LAC starts from Finger 8 which is at China’s disposal, and China claims that it is on Finger 2.
Muhammad Abdullah Hameed Gul says that when India took out its whole army to fight Pakistan during the Kargil War, China had constructed a road over Finger 4 which enabled it to easily patrol the area. In response India has been trying over the years to build a road over Finger 2. China has severe concerns over this because India wants to establish its hegemony in the region by illegally building roads and airstrips. This is why China has increased the number of its troops at Finger 3 manifold, and created army bunkers, so that India can be stopped from building roads in the area. If India fails to build the road, it will lose the lake.
Muhammad Abdullah Hameed Gul says that this is the only area where the LAC and the CCL are almost at the same place. There is no marked border so the armies lay symbolic claim to the disputed territory through patrolling it. Although India has tried to fool the world by playing the victim card and saying that China has entered its territory and forcibly captured it, its position continues weaken. India will try its best to avoid a war, because it knows that if it shows any military activity it will not just lose Ladakh, but also have to retreat from both Kashmir and Siachen. The areas where China has consolidated its position are dangerous for India and crucial to CPEC.
Muhammad Abdullah Hameed Gul says that the target of India’s expansionist policies in Ladakh is actually CPEC, which passes through Gilgit-Baltistan, an area India desperately wants to capture. Its focus is a tiny district called Daulat Beg, which is located at a 5065m altitude at Aksai Chin. Daulat Beg is an important post for India and it joins the Old Silk Route from China. India had made a base here during the 1962 war with China. It is 8 miles from Karakoram Pass, which provides easy access to Gilgit.
Muhammad Abdullah Hameed Gul says that last year India raised the status of Daulat Beg from a post to a full-fledged brigade level, after which India constructed a road on the Chinese border overnight in October last year, called Darbuk-Shyok-DaulatBeg road. The purpose was to connect Daulat Beg with the internal defence road networks of India. The idea was to enhance battle-preparedness of Daulat Beg army brigade. It should be noted that during this time the modern Hitler called Modi had also claimed its plans to attack Pakistan. The reason for the dispute is the Galwan Valley, linked to the Karakoram Pass.
Muhammad Abdullah Hameed Gul said that the newly constructed by the Indian Army, DSD Road, is located on a Western hill of the Galwan Valley. There is no alternative land route for providing supplies for the Daulat Beg Army Brigade. Therefore according to ground realities, China has played a trump card. China has come to Galwan with 5000 soldiers and now India has only the aerial route left to reach the area. China’s military position in Ladakh is much more effective and decisive, as compared to India’s. Daulat Beg Brigade has come under a scary trap, which has shattered India’s dream of reaching Gilgit-Baltistan and sabotaging the CPEC. In reality, India is stuck in quicksand.
There are indicators currently that America will not directly interfere in the India-China dispute. This is why Modi has been severely criticised by government institutions in a closed-door session in New Delhi. Reports also say that National Security Advisor Ajit Duval is also suffering from regret. In the session Modi was told that his dual doctrine has failed completely, because the institutions had been shown visions of the breaking up of Pakistan.
Muhammad Abdullah Hameed Gul has said that Pakistan will forget about Occupied Kashmir and start to protect its own Kashmir. It would also be difficult for it to protect Balochistan. However the recent actions of China has eased things. India has gone down on its knees, begging. Modi invited China for dialogue through multiple channels, so that the issue could be resolved via talks instead of fighting. China however has sent a clear refusal to New Delhi and has said that first India should accept China’s actions up till now and then talk.
Muhammad Abdullah Hameed Gul has said that it seems like China is in the mood to settle old scores. It is a shameful situation for the army of the murderer of Muslims and threatener of Pakistan, Narendra Modi. After being arrested by the enemy, their soldiers were released after a request. The whole world saw what China did to the Indian forces.
A cold war has been ongoing between both nations since many years. Muhammad Abdullah Hameed Gul says that India has also given refuge to the self-exiled Tibetan leader Dalai Lama. Despite the disputes there is a trade of 92 billion dollars between the two countries, and China has a heavy investment in India. China says that 90,000 kilometres of its territory is controlled by India, which it wants to take back. India thought that the way the world remained silent on the barbarity by its forces in Occupied Kashmir, it can cross the Line of Control with Pakistan and capture three areas of Nepal on the model of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir with impunity and America will support it over China. However, things didn’t work out the way it was planned.
It should be remembered that Muhammad Abdullah Gul’s column appears in Dunya News daily, where he writes investigative analysis on South Asian and international issues.
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