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| China mum, India downplays ‘the road of discord’ in J&K | | |
Agencies
Beijing/New Delhi, Dec 1: The diplomatic seesaw between India and China came in for discussion in the Lok Sabha here today even as a Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing tried to avoid a direct reply on whether China had pressurisd the State Government of Jammu and Kashmir in India to stop construction of a road near the border area.
"China has a dispute with India on the border issue. The two sides should work together to ensure peace and stability in the border area until the pending dispute is resolved," Qin Gang, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday at the regular briefing.
J&K authorities recently said they had stopped construction of an eight-km road in the remote Demchok area of Buddhist-dominated Ladakh area near the Line of Actual Control after objections from the Chinese Army.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday did not confirm or deny whether the Chinese Army had raised objection.
The Ministry had recently taken neutral approach to the dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
"The Kashmir issue is an issue between India and Pakistan left over by history. We hope the two sides could properly resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiations," Qin said on November 24 when he was asked to comment on a statement by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a major political group in India-controlled Kashmir.
Farooq had said that China has a stake in the region's peace soon after China and the United States made a joint statement saying they supported efforts for improvement of relations between India and Pakistan.
Yet with reports suggesting that China was building over two dozen new airstrips along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Government here today said there was no need to be "unnecessarily" worried as India was adequately strengthening itself.
"I don't think we need to be unnecessarily alarmed. As a regional power, they (China) will strengthen their infrastructure. They will procure their arms and we are doing what we have to do for strengthening our line," Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju told reporters.
The minister was asked to respond on reports claiming that China was building 27 airstrips along the LAC. There is no need to be "unnecessarily worried" about what other countries are doing, Raju said, adding "as far our programmes are going smoothly and we are doing adequately to strengthen ourselves."
On the stopping of work on a link road in Ladakh region after objections by the Chinese army, the minister said, "I think some of the things happen when there is a difference of perception. I guess that must be the reason."
Work on the road being built under Centrally-sponsored National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), which was to connect two villages in Demchok in South-Eastern Ladakh, was stopped during the last week of October.
Raju said India would find out the reasons behind China's objection to the road construction in the Ladakh region of Kashmir.
In a confrontational act as per a newspaper report appearing here on Monday, China had objected to road construction in Demchok near the Line of Actual Control in the Ladakh region of Kashmir.
Work has been stopped on the road project being built under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).
The eight-kilometer stretch of road that was being constructed to improve road connectivity, was providing employment to local residents.
Demchok village is the last inhabited area before the Line of Actual Control near the Chinese border.
"We will find out the facts of the matter but I think some of these things happen if there is difference in perception of the border. I am guessing that that must be the reason but we will check into in to the matter," Raju said in a written reply in Parliament.
The Minister of State for Defence also added that the strengthening and procuring of arms by China must not bother India.
"See, I think we don't need to be unnecessarily alarmed, as a regional power they will strengthen their infrastructure, they will procure their arms, and we are doing what we have to do for strengthening what is our land. We don't have to be unnecessarily worried about what other countries are doing as far our programmes are going on smoothly, we are doing adequately to strengthen ourselves," he said.
India has a border dispute with China and despite several rounds of talks, the issue is still pending.
India disagrees with China's claims stating that apart from occupying 90,000 sq km of land on the eastern side of the border; China has also occupied 38,000 sq km of territory in Aksai Chin plateau in the western Himalayas.
And, thus, a BJP member in the Lok Sabha accused China today of repeatedly showing 'big brother' attitude by taking objectionable and provocative steps, India should not remain a silent spectator as the Beijing’s actions were a "challenge to our sovereignty", Adityanath (BJP) said during the Zero Hour.
He claimed that the incursions, coupled with writing of Chinese inscriptions inside Indian territory, objecting to the Prime Minister's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and support to divisive forces, were part of Beijing's "strategic aim to encircle India".
Adityanath also referred to the recent reports about Chinese troops stopping construction work on a Ladakh road, and said, "Government should take the issue of incursions seriously as this was a matter which impinged national sovereignty".
At one point, Speaker Meira Kumar told the member to bear in mind the sensitivity of the issue while speaking. When the member told her that the matter concerned national sovereignty, she observed that national sovereignty was the uppermost.
Meanwhile, after raising India's hackles by issuing visa in a separate sheet of paper to several residents of Jammu and Kashmir, Chinaissued a visa stamped on passport to former Jammu University Vice Chancellor Amitabh Mattoo, a domicile of the state, who visited the neghbouring country.
Mattoo, who had applied for a visa in the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi to attend an international conference on nuclear disarmament in China last month, had been given a regular stamped visa in his passport facilitating his easy travel, Government sources said today. The noted Kashmiri Pandit academician was born in Jammu and Kashmir.
On several occasions in recent past, the China Embassy had given visas to residents of Jammu and Kashmir on separate sheets of paper instead of passport, inviting a sharp reaction from Indian Government.
In another development the Minister of State for Defence while talking to reporters today dealt with the issue of an Army official’s alleged involvement in a land scam in eastern Siliguri. Raju said the concerned authorities have been asked to probe the matter.
"Whenever there is an irregularity in any procedure or any of the functioning, the concerned service looks into the matter and it takes appropriate steps. The Ministry had directed the service, which is Army in this case, to look into the matter and they will take appropriate action," he said.
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