Dear Editor,
The BDCA (Border Defence Cooperation Agreement) was signed between India and China on 23rd October, 2013, and as expected this is merely to establish a protocol for army patrols, more importantly this agreement establishes that no patrol will follow or trail each other. Nothing in the agreement assures Depsang style venture would not happen. On the contrary China could ask not to trail in event their troops again set up tent in the areas where there is no common agreement. The common areas have become akin to animal kingdom wherein animals declare them their territory by marking them. We do it by banner drills while the animals do by spilling scent. Ladakh Changthang area is part of LAC. One part of Ladakh which shares a major portion of LAC inhabited by nomads, their concern seems to be of less importance for both the State and Centre. There is continuous loss of grazing land. Animals usually stray in both sides of LAC, this was very much highlighted by the fact that few horses strayed on the other side and the men who went to fend them were arrested by PLA. They were handed back to the Indian Army after a flag meeting, but only after being charged by local police. The recent case of face off in waters of Pangong shows be it land or water, China asserts its own perceived territory. These incidents seriously show how BDCA is a general framework and not a concrete protocol. These face-offs could be one of the reasons for not opening up Demchok Mansarovar route. Farooq Abdullah clearly stated that during Vajpayee tenure, Demchok route was discussed with Beijing, but it was not entertained. This year in February Minister of External Affairs Preneet Kaur said in reply to a question in Lok Sabha “The Chinese side has been citing difficulty in opening alternate routes on the ground that it would involve travel over longer distances on their side through difficult terrain, with poor road conditions and lack of proper infrastructure for accommodation and communication.” Demchok route is still in manifesto of BJP, one could possibly wonder how the Centre can fulfill this promise when they are not the one to decide and China has already allowed the Sikkim Route.
Rinchen Tundup
Ladakh
