Sahil Mahajan
After the December 9 clashes between Chinese and Indian troops in Yangtse area of Tawang region in Arunachal Pradesh , the country is witnessing a heated debate over national security . There is a genuine concern about the recurring Chinese intrusions and clashes at the Line of Actual Control. This concern needs to be addressed . True as it is that the Indian army has repulsed Chinese troops’ aggressive moves and foiled their plans to alter the status of the LAC , but at the same time what cannot be ignored is that the whole perspective of the national security should not be viewed from one angle . The army is obligated to defend borders . The army has been mandated by the nation to perform its task, and there is no doubt that soldiers have lived up to expectations of the countrymen.
There is a larger issue connected to what is happening at the LAC , whether it is eastern Ladakh where stiff standoff is continuing between Indian and Chinese troops since May 2020 , or now it is Arunachal Pradesh . That is that there is a need for national security doctrine. The real thing is that the national security has to be comprehensive and which change with the changing needs of nation’s security.
Jammu and Kashmir , particularly Jammu , gets affected by the situation on borders. Jammu region has borders with Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir , but it is equally affected by the developments at the LAC. The movement of soldiers to LAC to defend against the growing aggression of China , changes dynamics of the border in the region . The region is prone to infiltration from across the international border , and the Line of Control . Despite the reiteration of the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021 , the threat of infiltration has not diminished . Now there is a greater threat posed by the drones that drop drugs and ammunition . This is a serious threat about which the police, army and BSF have warned time and again. this requires higher level vigil and also the technology . The threat multiplies when the inimical elements within the region draw vicarious strength from this kind of infiltration . Pakistan is sending drones , because it is sure that there are elements who will pick up the consignments . This is a dangerous phenomenon . In such situations, the attention gets divided . The borders need both men and technology to defeat designs of the enemy from across the border as also their sympathizers living within the region . The LAC situation the way it is unfolding also requires men and technology .
The Tawang clashes have prompted the need for more troops on the borders with China , all along the nearly 4,000 km lone LAC . This will meet the security needs at the borders . It is important for India to defend its borders from all sorts of aggressions . It is a proven fact that what happened on December 9 was not an isolated incident . There had been skirmishes in the past. And Galwan Valley clashes and the standoff in eastern Ladakh has already resulted in deployment of extra troops on the LAC . This is the third winter of the troops in the forbidding Himalayan heights of 14,000 feet and above from sea level, where the temperatures dip to minus 40 degree Celsius .
This throws a question, how to meet the needs of border security with Pakistan , Pakistan occupied Kashmir, China and other countries ,including Myanmar and Bangladesh . There is need for smart deployment , and at the same time a proper thought and care needs to be taken about the internal security.