New Delhi: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has questioned the government over the situation along the Line of Actual Control with China in Arunachal Pradesh, alleging that Chinese forces had entered Indian territory, blocked Indian patrols and pitched tents.
“The Narendra Modi government needs to come clear on what is happening on the border in Arunachal Pradesh. The information it has provided so far is inadequate and meant to obfuscate. If Chinese forces have entered our territory, blocked our patrols from going to areas they always went to, and pitched tents, our people need to be told the truth. The current situation is unacceptable,” Owaisi said in a post on X.
Owaisi also invoked the earlier border standoffs in Doklam and Ladakh.
“We have seen what happened in Doklam and Ladakh earlier and do not want a repeat now. PM Modi said that no one had entered our territory in Ladakh but our soldiers can’t still patrol so many areas there. In Doklam, the Chinese have built a permanent base and alternative roads. When will the Narendra Modi government learn?” he said.
He further questioned the government’s China policy in the backdrop of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to New Delhi for the upcoming BRICS Summit.
“While all this is happening on the border, we are inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping to New Delhi next month. Is this our policy on how to deal with Chinese troops pitching tents on our territory and blocking our patrols? Or have we accepted all the terms that Beijing has placed before us for ‘normalcy’ in bilateral ties?” Owaisi added on X.
Owaisi’s remarks come amid a reported face-off between Indian and Chinese patrol parties in late July in Taksing, a remote border village in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri district.
ThePrint earlier reported that Indian and Chinese patrol parties came face-to-face in the area, about 2.5 km inside the Line of Actual Control. The usual banner protocol, under which both sides claim they are in their area, was carried out and the Chinese patrol subsequently pulled back.
However, the Chinese returned in early August and set up two-three tents in the area, ThePrint reported. Sources in the defence and security establishment told ThePrint that the “situation was well under control”. The Army is yet to respond to queries on the reported tents.
The Ministry of External Affairs, meanwhile, said Tuesday that the state of affairs along the India-China border would have a bearing on broader bilateral ties.
Responding to a question on the military situation and whether the standoff had been taken up diplomatically, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had “always emphasised” in discussions with China that border issues were “most serious” and that maintaining peace and tranquility in these areas was “of the utmost importance”.
“We have also stated that the state of border affairs will reflect on the state of our larger bilateral ties,” Jaiswal said.
Jaiswal said this was also reiterated at the 36th Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs meeting held on 6 August.
The two sides, he said, engaged in “frank discussions” and reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control.
The Indian side again maintained that peace and tranquility in the border areas was essential for the overall development of bilateral relations.
“It was agreed to continue to use existing mechanisms, diplomatic and military channels including the WMCC local commander level meetings and other agreed mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the LAC,” Jaiswal said.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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