A lot of questions about the latest India China face off in Galwan have been raised by many analysts and veterans as well as some politicians but all these questions have been countered with very few answers. I have been digging information for more than a month from various quarters and listening to the views of multiple journalists and analysts from both sides of the spectrum.
Question 1
To begin with lets lay some factual perspectives to the situation and try to answer some questions. The most basic, repeated and most obvious question is WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN GALWAN ? The Prime Minister is the only official source to have addressed that question vaguely, but that was given a political turn and raised more questions than it answered. So the facts about Galwan as are that it's an unprecedented situation and this has not happened before nor has this area been part of contested claims nor have patrols clashed here before. So what has happened in Galwan is something new, something significant and it will redefine the geo politics of the region as well the future of Indo-China relations.
Question 2
The second most important question is HAS ANY TERRITORY BEEN CAPTURED BY CHINA ?
The answer to this question lies in multiple satellite images, govt claims and comments of many neutral and pro government analysts comprehensively proves the fact that no territory has been lost in Galwan. Some anti government forces have been desperately trying to suggest that some territory has been lost and the quantification is vague and varied from 100 meters to 5 kilometers, no consensus on any exact number despite satellite imagery being available suggests that factually they have little standing and the intention is to make sensational claims to malign the government, but can not really blame them for that it's their job after all. My personal opinion is that China is right at the LAC, that means that neither in their territory nor in ours but at the exact location of the LAC. The situation can not be termed acceptable nor is it serious enough that it raises questions on the territorial integrity of India. Though the problem has been compounded by many and in various proportions not many have been able to suggest a solution, once in a while some one will talk about military action but these people should be very seriously ignored because they are saying thing without measuring the quantum of their words and the consequences of their expert advice. The Indian establishment has chosen to solve this through military diplomacy channel as Generals of both sides have had multiple meetings and have supposedly decided to disengage from the forward positions in a systematic way. This to me seems like the most plausible and positive approach to solve the present face off situation as war has hardly benefitted any one, we can corroborate that through centuries of history. Another often overlooked or not discussed often fact is that, a possible war will involve two nuclear armed nations having the two largest standing armies in the world in the harshest terrain of the world having an impact on 2.5 billion lives directly, that's one third of the world's population. Political point scoring deliberately ignores these basic facts that make the political arguments silly and short sighted hence the space for an unbiased civil perspective exists and is important.
Question 3
The third and the most troubling question is WHY DID OUR 20 SOLDIERS LOSE THEIR LIVES ? This is the most sought answer that has troubled every Indian over the past few days and has aroused a strong emotion in the nation resulting in the ban of 59 Chinese apps as well as the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Ladakh. The answers to this question have been many and diverse, it ranges from treachery of the Chinese army to the terrain, the weather, the darkness of the night. Some unsavory comments have been also made on the competence of the soldiers the officers leading them, its unfortunate that such comments have been made but their pretext has been more sensationalism and attacking the government rather than addressing the question of their death or professionalism. I attempt to answer this question from multiple perspectives and cover all facets of it but I will not elaborate on the competence of the Indian Army or comment on their professionalism because the history of this glorious institution answers it to the hilt.
The answer to this question has been provided by the 20 soldiers who laid down their lives and many more who suffered injuries, its as simple as its truthful and can be answered in one word - BRAVERY. Yes, we lost we lost our soldiers because of bravery, the answer is as unexpected as it is obvious. The Chinese while acting aggressive and deviating from mutually agreed disengagement procedures encountered Col Santosh Babu, himself leading a dusk patrol to the area of Patrol Point 14 (PP-14) to confront the Chinese and resolve the matter. The Chinese expected this confrontation and had pre planned their response of barbaric violence with nail studded bats and steel rods but what they did not expect was the Indian response and what they did not plan for was the Indian bravery. The men of 16 Bihar , 3 Punjab , 3 Medium Regiment and 81 Field Regiment came together to give an overwhelming number of Chinese troops a fight they will remember for a long time . The Chinese were more than 5 times in number but the Indian troops fought with their heart and soul. They didn't bother about the odds and that was their bravery, they created their own odds by killing more than twice the number of Chinese living up to the gallantry standards of the Indian soldier. They didn't fire weapons not just to upkeep a treaty and prevent the risk of shooting their fellow soldiers in a pitch dark close quarter night skirmish, but they didn't need to fire weapons as they had the raw courage to kill the Chinese with their bare hands. Sepoy Gurtej Singh from 3 Punjab, Ghatak Platoon is a name they will always remember as a fine example of Indian soldiering. The brave sons of the soil fought the Chinese, the arduous mountain terrain and extreme cold weather at night to come out victorious and 20 of them paid the price of victory with their lives. Its too high a price for the victory, should not have happened but they have already paid this price and it is up to us to uphold it with respect and honor. They didn't fight for a particular government they fought for the nation and each and every one needs to respect that sacrifice above all party lines and ideologies. The Indian Army is an apolitical army and it should be treated and respected apolitically .
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| This is the 3D view of PP-14 clash point at Galwan |
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