The Chinese are coming!
The Dragon has emerged from its lair with a vengeance.
A senior Indian army officer was denied an official Chinese visa on the grounds that he was commanding in Jammu and Kashmir, a disputed territory according to the Chinese.
The Chinese occupy considerable amount of territory in Ladakh, which they captured in 1962. They are now slowly making inroads into the Indus Valley and other areas. In 1963, Pakistan had illegally ceded some 5,000 square km (2000 sq miles) in the area of the Karakoram to China.
Pakistan is now reported to have handed over control of the major part of the northern territories to China. Media reports indicate that there are some 10,000 Chinese soldiers based in Gilgit on the pretext of protecting the widening work on the Karakoram Highway and the construction of a railway line to link east Tibet with the Pakistani port of Gwadar in the Gulf of Oman.
The Russians in the 19th and 20th centuries dreamt of a getting warm water port on the Arabian Sea. The Chinese seem well on the way to fulfilling this Russian dream.
In a further move to encircle India by sea, the Chinese are establishing naval and air bases on Myanmar’s Ramree Island in the Bay of Bengal. (Incidentally, I took part in the amphibious assault on Ramree Island during World War II). These bases on Ramree Island will help the Chinese in their endeavors to control the upper Bay of Bengal and pose a threat to Kolkata, Vishakapatnam and the Andamans.
The presence of Chinese troops in Gilgit is a matter of great concern. During the Kargil conflict, the five battalions of the intruding paramilitary Northern Rifles were maintained from Gilgit and thence from Skardu. There is a good road from Gilgit to Skardu. In pre-Partition days, road communications to Gilgit were along the Kargil-Skardu-Gilgit route. This section can easily be restored in a short period of time.
The reported presence of Chinese troops in Gilgit poses a serious threat to Indian road communications to Ladakh running through Kargil.
Another matter of concern is the increased Chinese interest in the Indus Valley. The easiest approach to Leh is along this valley. The Chinese have not only shown interest in the Indus Valley but also the Karakoram Pass between India and China.
… concern is the increased Chinese interest in the Indus Valley. The easiest approach to Leh is along this valley. The Chinese have not only shown interest in the Indus Valley but also the Karakoram Pass between India and China.
Any Chinese move through the Karakoram Pass will threaten our troops in Siachen and our base at Thoise. In the contingency of any future conflict with the Chinese, new areas of conflict in Ladakh will open up. I served in Ladakh for two years immediately after the Chinese invasion of 1962, and it also fell under my purview subsequently as Chief of Staff and Army Commander covering the northeast. During this period there were many incursions and incidents.
Keeping these factors in mind, there is an urgent requirement for another division and supporting armour to be raised for the defence of Ladakh and two more for the north east.
In the northeast, the Chinese may, after negotiations, reduce their claims from the whole of Arunachal to the Tawang tract and Walong.
Major Bob Kathing and his Assam Rifles platoon only moved to take control of Tawang in the spring of 1951. The Chinese had placed a pillar in Walong in the 1870s. They have built up the road, rail and air infrastructure in Tibet. It is assessed that the Chinese can now induct some 30 divisions there in a matter of weeks.
We are committed to ensure the defence of Bhutan. We need at least two divisions plus for the defence of Bhutan. In West Bhutan, the Chinese have moved upto the Torsa Nulla. From there it is not far to Siliguri via Jaldakha. This remains the most serious potential threat to the Siliguri corridor.
The Chinese have developed the infrastructure in Tibet to enable them to mount operations all along the border. We are still in the process of upgrading our infrastructure in the north east. It will take many more years before the infrastructure in the north east is upgraded to what is required. Thus we need to raise two more divisions and an armoured brigade for the north east.
There is an urgent requirement for more artillery, firepower and mobility. More helicopters are also needed to ensure mobility. Mobility is a key factor in military operations. Mobility is necessary to obtain flexibility as also the ability to react in fluid operations. In order to ensure the means to react, we need reserves. These reserves have yet to be created.
The Air Force needs to deploy more squadrons in that region, since, unlike 1962, the Air Force will play a decisive role in any future operations.
The Chinese are also said to be re-establishing their earlier links with the Naga insurgents.
In 1974/75, I was in charge of operations that intercepted two Naga gangs going to China to collect weapons and money. The Nagas were then compelled to sign the Shillong Accord, and Chinese support for the Naga insurgents was put on the backburner. Twelve years of peace followed. But now, the Chinese, in collusion with the Pakistani ISI, are said to be in the process of re-activating their support of the Naga insurgents as part of an overall scheme to destabilize the north east.
The increasing military collaboration between China and Pakistan is of growing concern, but we seem woefully unprepared for this contingency.
The government urgently needs to expedite the induction of land, air and naval weapons systems and to build up the required reserves of ammunition and spares. In any future conflict, logistics will be of paramount importance.
During the 1971 war, it took me some six months to build up the infrastructure for the operations in East Pakistan. The requirements now are far, far greater. Modern weapons systems take a long time to induct and absorb. The induction of new weapons systems and build up of logistical backing should be initiated on an emergency footing.
The increasing military collaboration between China and Pakistan is of growing concern, but we seem woefully unprepared for this contingency.
At the moment, we seem to have insufficient resources to meet this contingency.
We are critically short of modern weapons systems and weaponry. No new 155mm guns have been inducted for some two decades.
During the limited Kargil conflict, we ran out of 155mm ammunition for the Bofors field guns. Fortunately for us, the Israelis flew out the required ammunition.
New aircraft for our Air Force are yet to be inducted. The navy is short of vital weapons systems. These shortages need to be addressed at the earliest.
There is no Soviet Union with its Treaty of Friendship to help us now [in 1971, the Soviets moved 40 divisions to the Xinjiang and seven to the Manchurian borders to deter the Chinese]. We have to rely on our own resources. We must show that we have the will and wherewithal to meet the emerging contingencies.
It is high time the government reappraises the emerging situation and puts in place the measures required to meet the developments, before it is too late.
About the author
General JFR Jacob, the hero of the 1971 India Pakistan war, recalls how former comrades in arms turned into bitter, life-long enemies post partition.
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Sir, it seems that the Indian Govt. is oblivious to the developments in our borders. They are more concerned and preoccupied with vote bank politics and sops for the undeserving than on subjects like National security and Building of infrastructure both civil and military. Army and its necessities are the last thing on their minds and it seems not even the opposition could care less.
Sir,my salutations to you i would very much like a reply from you only hope you remember i brought Rain bow trout for you from Manmai Choregards --dalji
Pakistan needs to remember that china is no friend of theirs. Look at their balance sheets. analyse it.Forget what theyve borrowed historically ( I assure you so have they), how much has america lent them and how much has china given them say in the last five years, or three or two or one? even the projects funded by China are delivered by chineese laborers. If pakistan attacks, and if it thinks India is going to hold back because of Chinese presence, they are sadly mistaken. India will use it as a double opportunity to hit hard. Pakistan needs to realize that India is by far a superior nation in every count. in terms of political stability, diversity, economic might, global integration, hard and soft power. It just has to come to terms with that fact and bow down. The moment they accept that, they would stop playing themselves into enemies of India. This whole game they are playing is stupid and has not and will not get them anywhere.
I am very disappointed the way indians are preparing against China. India just need to do a little
The General has "hit the nail on the head" and "Got the Bull by the Horn." I hope somebody out of the 514 odd sitting in the Parliament reads this article and "act." However, on a lighter note, Chinese or Pakistanis do not need to do much to destroy India, as, the "white ants" in form of our Politicians have started "eating away" the Nation.First, it's needed to wake up the sleeping India, get some real Indians in the Parliament and then arm her and take action on the borders as suggested by the Hero of 1971. As long as the "Babus" run the show at MoD, a repeat of 1962 is not an impossibility. God Save India.
i think indian politian dont have any fursat from bucketing the bank account..in USB.......
We are engaged in a low intensity warfare with PRC since the 1962 ceasefire.It is no coincidence that the high economic growth rate of last thirty years has emboldened the PRC to raise the stakes.PRC and its lackey to our east have a masterplan to destabalise India to the point where PRC would seize the NorthEast and Ladakh and Pakistan the rest of Indian Kashmir.Afghanistan would fall like a ripe mango in Pakistani lap.A Pakistani vassal state it will be forced to accept Durand line as a permanent border.We are going to loose the great game by default.Only a sustained and high level of economic growth can help us win this war.For this we need a strong disciplined central government with vision and purpose that can lead the nation.We also need to get off that Nehruvian foreign policy that in guise of nonalignment made us anti-West and subservient soviet ally .United States and Israel are our natural allies.We need to strengthen our ties with them .Looking East we should ally ourselves with Vietnam,Thailand,Japan and South Korea .These countries are looking forallies to counter PRC.Austalia would be welcomed once it gets over this dreadful case of sinofatuation.Also why are we so reluctant to play the Tibet card or for that matter Uyghurstan card!!This would send a right message to Beijing.Backoff or else!!Last but not least lets sign a friendship treaty with Israel and station some members of the IDF this side of the LoC in Kashmir. Unless of course Pakistanis are agreeable!!
We have never heard of any Pakistani missile failure, they blasted nukes without any failure, they operate ships, submarines, fighter jets, advance radars and yet ironically, they say that they do not have the technology to manufacture needle in their country. Of course we do have issues with INSAS and ARJUN and AGNI and TEJAS and what not. But do you see something common in all these names….the insignia of UNION OF INDIA…We are a progressive society with people from multiple ethnic groups. Everyone is free and I fell that poverty is just a state of mind. We do see discouraging events in our country but this has been happening in human history since time immemorial. People of Union of India have occasionally attacked each other with belief based on different perceptions. In spite of these events, we continue to live with each other and try to forget the past. History shows that we have never seen any type of ethnic cleansing in our country and our population proves that. Present scenario in Kashmir and Maoist hit districts is result of complete mind wash and will go away with rapid progress in those areas. People of Union of India are kind hearted and would never like to carry guns in jungles if given an opportunity. They are our people and have been living with us just like our families members since time immemorial. The worst hit states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh is the result of anger which people had for centuries. If we reinstate the trust in them giving them the respect and capital they require, they are people just like us. We do not need to kill them or punish them. They are our strength and could help building the nation more than any other people in the nation. Large part of the technology had been hidden till now but with new generation kicking in, we can expect kids to have their own labs in their backyards. India is an age long and probably the oldest culture in the world and we will certainly find a way to counter any threat in future.
This article did spread a bit of panic in our hearts. We got bound to think that we must act as soon as possible to counter these threats. But again, remember that this is a civilized world and we cannot attack any country because they are trying to modernize their capacity of war and new technology. We are a country of 1 Billion and it is foolish to think that someone will attack our motherland just like that. Let's analyze few critical factors. Both the countries maintain a massive army and have the capacity to increase it to almost equivalent levels if required. A beautiful, colorful and organized parade can definitely leave an everlasting shadow of fear on anyone but when it comes to war, no one knows how would the armies behave. Both the armies are well trained in Gorilla, Mountain, Plain, Extreme, and favorable warfare. The will to fight and die for their countries with them is no doubt beyond words. I feel that there is no difference in the attitude and capabilities of both the armies. Any incident in past is not accountable as there is a huge generation gap between now and then.The air forces both the countries maintain are almost equivalent. Even if India lacks in number, the amount of funding and variety opted by Union of India is large and widespread. Indian pilots have the taste of various kinds of technologies in air combat and it is going to be more in coming years. We must remember that Union is now increasing the aircraft engine manufacturing capacity and this will help our next generation smart kids to understand the technology better. India has now tested and verified fighter plane, missiles, space engines and this is very important because large part of the technology has been developed indigenously and with the support from advance laboratories around the world. If our missiles and rockets fail, it simply means that honest people are working on it; they are researching on it and last but not the least they are trying to do better.
india must engage iran,as through iran we can undergo covert operation in balochistan.If balochistan is dismembered from pakistan then gwadar port cannot be built.Also chinese construction in pok like roads rails
This is the real game n beyond India's comprehension. Tough days r waiting for India.
General sir, please accept my salutations after 36 years, I met you a number of times in Kalimpong your assessment is from experience and actual knowledge of the situation if only someone can pay heed to what you are saying about 30 to 40 divisions in a very short time that was in 1975 but now it would be faster. i do not mean to be scared but we must prepare ourselves to the hilt
The Chinese are doing what they always did - military and demographic expansion. Why aren't Indians doing what they did in the past ? Now the Indians did beat the Huns/ Kushans/ Shak out of their territory, right ? Add to that the British and the Portuguese in recent times. So what stops them today ? SIno threat is not as big as it seems nor does the Pak threat appear to be as sinister with its N-arsenal - YET. What of tomorrow ? Take lessons from the past. Mahamads - both Ghauri and Gazani were defeated several times and yet the Rajput largese towards them stopped Indians from achieving any conclusive victory. Marathas resorted to similar grandiose with Abdali and eventually faced their nemesis in Panipat defeat. Will the Indians ever learn ?
A new strategic equation is emerging in the sub-continent. Pakistan is well aware about waning American influence and rise of China. Chinese are creeping forward on our western, northern and eastern borders. Their ultimate aim is to pose a simultaneous threat to Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh.Conventional military thinking and organisation will not help. We need to be proactive and more innovative. Chinese moves needs to be countered now. Very soon we will hear about their presence in Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar in the guise of infrastructure building.