DBO sector represents Indian presence on Aksai Chin which otherwise is mostly controlled by the Chinese.
Srinagar: After clashes and faceoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh’s Pangong Tso area and the Galwan River Valley, China has reportedly started creating trouble for Indian patrols in the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) area between patrolling points 10 and 13.
Top sources said that the intent of the Chinese is now becoming clearer as they want to encroach areas near the Karakoram Pass and get depth for their highways which move towards Pakistan and Europe through countries moving through the Shenzhen region above the Indian territory, India Today reported.
“In the DBO sector, the Chinese want to create troubles for us and have been blocking our patrols from going up to our patrolling points 10 to 13 in that area. These are adjoining the Galwan River Valley and are close to the Indian battalions in the DBO sector,” they said.
Sources said that the Chinese have also used their road infrastructure in the rear positions to swiftly move heavy vehicles and artillery closer to the LAC near PP 15, PP 17 and PP 17 A.
The DBO sector represents Indian presence on the Aksai Chin plateau which otherwise is mostly controlled by the Chinese.
The development comes a day after India and China agreed to start the process of disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.
As talks between India and China were ongoing, Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Defence Ministry on Wednesday accused India of breaking the June 6 agreement, and claimed India had agreed to not patrol in the valley or build facilities there, reported The Hindu.
This came after the military commanders of India and China had reportedly arrived at a consensus on ‘outstanding issues’ and have agreed to take measures to cool down the situation, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.
However, tensions are high between India and China as the Government of India has given powers to the armed forces to make emergency procurements to stock up its war reserves amid tension building up on the LAC.
Air Force assets, including fighters, have been moved up to forward locations.
Navy has also been given the go-ahead to deploy its assets near the Malacca Strait and, if needed, anywhere else in the Indo-Pacific to counter Chinese action
Economic Times had reported that the government did not want to leave anything to chance at this stage, especially after the violence in Galwan which left atleast 20 Indian soldiers dead.
Prime Minster of India Narendra Modi has said that the ‘sacrifices of soldiers’ along the border with China will not go in vain. India wants peace but is capable of giving befitting reply, if instigated, he said.
The external affairs ministry has said the escalation in Galwan Valley of Ladakh happened “as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo there”.
China has accused India of crossing the border and attacking Chinese personnel, and called on India to “not take unilateral actions or stir up trouble.”
The armies of India and China are locked in a tense standoff at three points in eastern Ladakh, wherein China has reportedly occupied 60 sq. kilometres of territory claimed by India.
A Chinese diplomat reacting to the standoff in Ladakh has said that the move is linked to the Indian government’s unilateral decision to scrap Article 370 in August last year.
The move changed the laws that prohibited Indians from buying land in Kashmir, and made the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir defunct, triggering fears of demographic change in the Muslim majority region of Kashmir.
When India scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5 last year, the Chinese foreign ministry had issued two statements criticising the development, including one that focused on the splitting of the state into union territories.
This statement, while urging India to be “cautious” on the border issue and to avoid “actions that further complicate the border issue”, said: “China has always opposed India’s inclusion of Chinese territory in India’s administrative jurisdiction in the western part of the Sino-Indian border.” This was a reference to the area in Ladakh that New Delhi claims but is controlled by Beijing.
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