By: Ali Raza Qureshi
Indo-China stand-off has a long history but it’s consequences completely ignored by Modi’s artistry. Periodically, geography has shaped the world in its manner through which the strategies are stated which became the basis of decision-making policies that are implemented on such realities.
Similarly, India’s geographical shape is triangular, with its apex at Ratnapuri and the two sides being parallel to the Tapti and Narmada rivers.
Moreover, the Indian subcontinent is divided into four geographical divisions, which we characterize three of the four divisions; the Northern Plains, the Deccan Plateau, and the Northern Mountains of the Himalayan as regions with dissimilar climatic and physical resources.
Besides, one of the northeastern areas comprises the eight states of India included, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura in which the Sikkim state shares the border with China where the Siliguri Corridor is known as Chicken’s Neck also lies, is a narrow stretch of land of about 22 kilometers (14 miles), located in the Indian state of West Bengal, that connects India’s northeastern states to the rest of India, with the countries of Nepal and Bangladesh lying on either side of the corridor.
Accidently, the laddhak incident of 5th May abruptly triggered the tension between the two neighboring states, afterward, on Saturday the 9th of May, dozens of Indian and Chinese soldiers have exchanged physical blows in a clash on the shared border, and soldiers have injured near the Naku La sector in the border state of Sikkim.
Moreover, in the recent past, stand-off has also occurred between Indo-China borders at Doklam in 2017 which created the strain tension between both regions but luckily, in the previous scenarios both parties were somehow equivalent in weight of response and India had observed the lesson threat to its sovereignty.
But now, the situation is completely different. The ongoing pandemic hit the India hardly and generated many crises like economic, health, and so on but now it is sticking in a security crisis. Despite this fact, China has come out from the disaster and started recovery, and in this whole scenario attacking the Chinese army near to India’s neck is alarming.
More worriedly, because of the passing citizenship amendment act in 2019, the independence movements which were already proactive now become more set in motion in these eight states which are connected by only 22km (14 miles) length line which is known as Chicken’s neck.
Dramatically, the countries lie at the northeastern border of India that connected with China in the north and northeast, Bhutan recline in the east, Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the south, reluctantly China had already claimed over the east and west of this region.
Undoubtedly, now India is on apprehension triggered where she can never reorient and could lose its northeastern region if China would reach the chicken’s neck.
Foolishly, with the known perilous realities India’s lulled leadership with lurking ability is trying to interfere in China’s internal matters and want to include Taiwan in World Health Organization as independent states on which Chinese had already claimed to their part.
In this regard, India has also tried hampering the CPEC project of China and Pakistan, moreover, creating tensions in Balochistan through spying especially at Gilgit Baltistan and Gawadar Port from where the project starts.
Inevitably, because of Modi’s mindless leadership whims the India’s position in the region, this resulted in Nepal’s response in making the bridge which India inaugurated a new road in Uttarakhand which leads to territory that is claimed by Kathmandu, near the border with China,” Most importantly, the country like a Nepal deployed its forces as well at the border.
Nonetheless, India is on the verge point of her history because the ruling colonial mindset vulnerably goaded the influence in the Indo-Pacific region and in the world. Despite obstructing in other’s internal matters, India must vigilantly save its own borders and northeastern states otherwise only the remorse would remain.
The writer is a student of the University of Sindh, Jamshoro. He can be reached at [email protected]
