SHUN LETHARGY

The developments near LAC in Eastern Ladakh are becoming more worrisome with reports telling dangerous plans of the Dragon nation and India taking sordid stand as except affirmation on monitoring the situation no other word is made public by the concerned quarters. After the top US General’s warning about the dangerous ploy of Chinese government in the region with massive infra build-up along the LAC, reports have now emerged that Air Force of People’s Liberation Army of China has deputed its finest frontline jets near the border to be militarily at a very strong position. There is no doubt that India has acquired the state of art Rafael to counter China’s fleet of fighter jets but China’s overtures in the region are worrisome and India needs to take immediate steps as ignoring the warning signals is not in the interest of the country. Already, the US General has termed Chinese military infrastructure development along the border with India as “alarming” and now the Chinese Air Force’s dangerous ploy to deploy over two dozen frontline aircrafts at its Hotan air base near eastern Ladakh sector is something which India cannot take lightly. It is pertinent to mention that the Chinese Air Force is building new airfields close to Indian Territory, which can allow them to carry out missions from lower altitudes. US General Charles A Flynn had recently said that the Chinese activity level was eye-opening. Reportedly, the situation is critical all along the border with China starting from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh in the north east. It has come to fore that China is making its air bases along the LAC more robust and war ready therefore just by keeping the close watch will not serve the purpose rather it is significant that India should also start taking steps to counter the enemy threat as the same is necessary to deter the Dragon nation from indulging in any kind of misadventure like the case of Galwan Valley clash in which 20 soldiers got martyred though China also lost its soldiers as per reports. It is however good that the Indian side has also ramped up preparedness in the view of the heightened activity by the Chinese forces on their side of the LAC, and has deployed Sukhoi-30 MKIs, MiG-29s and Mirage-2000s at forward air bases.

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