Kolkata, August 20
India has an established mechanism to resolve any “friction” related to the international border with China in Arunachal Pradesh, GOC-in-Chief, Eastern Command, Lt General Rana Pratap Kalita said on Saturday.
To a question about the past disputes between the two countries on the Sino-Indian border issue along Arunachal Pradesh, the senior army officer told reporters that the particular stretch of border is demarcated by the McMahon Line.
“That border is not marked in the same way as the Radcliff Line which demarcates the Indo-Bangladesh border. The Indo-Bangladesh border is demarcated by Radcliff pillars, everyone knows the alignment of those border areas. The Arunachal border is not demarcated in that way, so there can be differing perceptions (between two sides)…however, we have the established mechanism to resolve all such frictions. There are five agreements which guide the way to resolve all such frictions whenever those take place,” Lt Gen Kalita said.
Two days after the country’s independence from British rule in 1947, the Radcliffe Line, a geographical marker was published that demarcated the boundary between India and the newly created dominion of Pakistan.
The senior army officer was in conversation with Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha (retd) and members of Bharat Chamber of Commerce, Kolkata on security-related issues.
China claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet which is firmly rejected by the External Affairs Ministry which has asserted that the state is an “inseparable part of India”.
Beijing routinely protests visits of top Indian leaders and officials to Arunachal Pradesh to reaffirm its claim.
Asked about the threat perception along the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken’s Neck in north Bengal in the wake of the Indo-China Doklam crisis in 2017, Lt Gen Kalita said “we are conscious about the importance of the Siliguri Corridor to the nation as it connects the entire Northeast with the rest of the country and the narrowest part of it is only 20 km.
“…we have friendly relations with Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. But the distance from the tip of the corridor to the Chinese territory is over 40 km. We are conscious of the type of threat…..Requisite steps are being taken from the security point of view.”
The Siliguri Corridor is a narrow stretch of land bordering Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh measuring approximately 170×60 km.
Asked about the Russia -Ukraine conflict, the senior officer said the armed forces and the government of India are aware of the developments and only time can say how it will further manifest itself.
“India is conscious of the dimensions of possibilities, lots of steps have been taken to address the concerns of both sides …Our doctrines have also been reviewed,” he said.
The Lt General said Indian armed forces have also recently ensured “our capability enhancement takes place to cope with any type of challenge from any quarters. We are prepared to face contingencies…Our doctrines have also been reviewed.” On the ‘Look East’ and ‘Act East’ policy in the last couple of decades, he said as the first step to bringing peace and stability, there is a need for development and improving connectivity.
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