Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today stated the obvious when he said there is a Pakistan angle to the aggressive Chinese movements in Ladakh region and along the LAC in recent months. He said the creation of a dispute in Ladakh was part of a ‘mission’, first by Pakistan and then by China. This was only to be expected, given the kind of association that China and Pakistan had over time, which the present-day Indian establishment watched with considerable disinterest or surprising casualness.
Trouble was in the making. Pakistani forces lay low for quite some time of late, but have resorted to unprovoked firing along the western line a few days ago, at the precise time when Indian attention remained concentrated on eastern Ladakh region. Quite likely, India could be faced with a two-front war, requiring us to divide attention between the northern and western borders. To add to India’s predicament, Nepal has strayed away from its long-cherished ties with the southern neighbour and edged closer to China. It could also be that Nepal too could be drawn in by China to take on India.
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Nepal has already raised problems along its border with India. It came up with ticklish issues like a demand for return of nearly Rs 1,000 crore of banned high-denomination Indian currency – done back in 2016. This will have serious implications. The trouble between India and Nepal started shortly after the turn of the century when King Birendra was assassinated in what was touted as a family fight in the palace. Thereafter, with democracy eventually gaining ground, Nepal’s drift away from India started.
The Himalayan nation adopting a new Constitution, making it a secular nation instead of the old status of being a Hindu nation, too strained bilateral ties as the Modi government did not take kindly to it. China is closer to Myanmar and is building economic bridges with Bangladesh too. A critical security situation is developing around India. China has lasting ties with Sri Lanka, and it stepped into the Maldives too. Despite all these, point to note is that India is not giving adequate attention to either change the environment better for itself or equip itself with better military power. Fact that China is now having a five-time stronger military – as against an equal footing 20 years ago – makes the scenario more complex. China is bound to take on India in aggressive manners, and Pakistan is simply biding its time.
Rajnath’s utterances, therefore, seem childish as even a common Indian citizen is able to grasp the utter failure in diplomacy as demonstrated by the Modi government in the past seven years. Bravado at home and unacceptability abroad has become the hallmark of the present administration.
