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1962 INDO CHINA WAR
Recently I gone through some papers and India’s China War by Neville Maxwell (who was South Asian correspondent of The Times) from IIM library published in 1970. By this I came to know that it was a total failure of Indian policies.
Here is the summary of the whole instances that lead to the collision.
Instead going directly to the War part, first let us clear the issues. What were the issues that lead to War?
1. Aksai Chin. (It is the No-Mans land beyond Ladhakh)
2. NEFA (North East Frontier Agency) which is the part Of Arunachal pardesh and above it.
India and China were both having claims on these two parts. Aksai Chin is on the western part and NEFA is on the eastern.
What is the history of these two areas? And whom claim is stronger?
First Aksai Chin, this is the no mans land of white rocks and a plateau 17000 feet above sea level where nothing grows and no one lives under the killing winds. An ancient route lay across it; in brief summer when for few hours only the ice melts and the caravans of Yalks crossed it from Sinkiang to Tibet carrying silk ,salt and wool. So it was the no mans land having an old way to move from the Eastern Tibet to the Western Part of Tibet to Khotan. In 1846-47, Maharaja Gulab Singh who was put on the Muslim and Sikh people of Kashmir as Raja by the British invaded Ladakh and he captured up to the Mansarover lake and to the Spiti River and British asked him to stop there. At that time Russia was the main threat in that reason for the British and they don’t want the Russians to stop beyond the China to protect the plains of India those were the main source of income to British. For this British played a tactics and had friendly relations with the weak govt. of china that time and used this region as the buffer region.
Several British went to this area to make the boundary line and each of them proposed their own lines e.g. W.H Johnson. The British kept on changing the maps depending on the situation in that region and in 1842 they showed it in their territory and in 50’s again left it, in 1877 Atlas they showed it again under them and again till 1914, it was left to please China. As in 1914 the Chinese Govt. was very loose and Tibet became sovereign region, British again claimed that region and also now Tibet was under British but only for the foreign policies.
In 1842 when British did a treaty with the Tibet officials and not with the Chinese govt. regarding the Western region and they forced the Tibet officials to keep it under British Territory. But the Chinese govt. had never accepted that treaty at all.
Now for the NEFA region, The Nepal and Bhutan both were having their own Rule but they were bound to the British for their Foreign policies. Sikkim and Darjeeling were taken by the British from Tibet because of their climate and natural beauty. There is Tawang having a great Monastery and Buddhist population overall in that region full of thick forests and here in 1844 British restrict themselves at Udalguri that is lower down the hills of Tawang region. Again here British didn’t invade so as to please the Chinese. In this region also survey’s done. There were two boundaries proposed one is at the foot of the hills and the other one was above. British were angry at the killing of Noel Williamson by the tribes and also when in may 1910 Chinese occupied Rima which is at the right uppermost corner of Arunachal. They decided to occupy up to outer boundary but that also was not having Tawang under it. Later MacMohan in 1914 surveyed that area and proposed the boundary that is shown in the Indian maps these days and also known as MacMohan line. And After the fall of Chinese govt. in 1914 and arise of the Tibet as a sovereign region British again had a treaty with the Tibet officials now for the NEFA and they agreed upon the MacMohan line to be the boundary. The Tawang region as it was totally Tibetian by people, Culture and geographically also so in 1938 Atlas, British showed it as part of Tibet. Here one thing to be noted that Chinese govt. was never agreed upon this new marking of the region and claims that area up till foot hills to be its own but due to week govt. they couldn’t did anything.
At the time of Indian freedom, India got Tibet which was dependent on India for her foreign policies, same as Bhutan.
People’s Republic of china was established on 1st Oct. 1950 and soon after that they announced attack on Tibet and to take it under china again. Here comes the week policy of Nehru first time, Indian Ambassador in Tibet K.M Pannikar had exchanged files with the Chinese there and Chinese soon take over Tibet. That time Truman even asked Nehru to provide all possible Air and field help to take Tibet under full control. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel who was deputy prime minister wrote NEHRU a long letter in Nov. 1950; he implied that Pannikar had had the wool pulled over his eyes by the Chinese whom he accused of perfidy and malevolence for changing the word “sovereignty” to “Suzerainty” and not even holding the independent status of Tibet.
Now Indian Govt. occupied the NEFA region full to the MacMohan line in Feb. 1951 and even captured Tawang despite of opposing by the civilians and providing direct notice to Tibet and not the Chinese who had now taken Tibet under them.
1. In Sept. 1951 Chou En lie suggested the Indian ambassador to clarify all the boundaries with India, Nepal and china and further confirmed that china is willing to accept MacMohan line as the boundary in the east but for that first of all a joint survey and discussion on bench is required. Indian govt. accepted but never followed.
2. China in July 1952 again proposed to fix any pending boundary issues. Mr. G.S Bajpai India’s first Secretary-General wrote a letter to PM stating that there are some issue related to the boundaries in Aksai Chin and NEFA that Chinese govt. had never accepted as they had been between the Tibet and British and not with China. So it’s better to talk to China once as they are now ready to accept the MacMohan line also. But the think tank of NEHRU – Krishna Menon refused badly and it was decided that nothing would be discussed with China related to the NEFA as they felt that they are at better position now and after that they have to leave some parts to China.
3. After the death of Sardar Patel, author told that the whole govt. was NEHRU, MENON and later KAUL joined them. And these three took each and every decision without even consulting the cabinet and even sometimes they didn’t call the panel of Home minister and other senior leaders like Kriplani and lalbahadur.
4. BK Nehru was Ambassador in US (cousin of Nehru) and one more cousin RK Nehru was Sec. Gen. of ministry of external affairs. KAUL was a military person who once gone to Burma with army and never had any experience of wars and enjoying the friendship and power in Delhi.
5. NEHRU is well known for its PanchSheel which he introduced after coming from Indonesia and originally he took two rules out of these from the foreign policy of China itself.
6. Up till 1954 Sikkim was not part of Indian Constitution though it was shown in Indian map of that time; this was accepted by Congress in 1967.
7. Indian Map in 1954 now showed the MacMohan line as Indian boundary in East and in west they showed a color wash instead of any particular boundary in that region as Indian territory, means included the Aksai Chin but without and specific boundary and the same case in some areas with Nepal.
8. The most advance post in the west region was chusul and in 1952 Indian petrol was sent only up to Lanak Pass.
9. NEHRU gave a slogan of HINDI CHINI BHAI-BHAI and had friendship with Chou En Lie according to PanchSheel.
10. July 1954, when army asked about the scene of the disputed boundary near to Himachal, Nepal and china border then the think tank asked them to move forward and so in 1954 Indians rushed into disputed boundary.
11. Author tells that Nehru was “a poor debater, his speeches too long and more like soliloquies than communications, he was a parliamentarian by commitment and not by temperament. Enjoying his dominance in house. ‘Childish’ and ‘infantile’ were favorite words to rebuke the other members. But was afraid of Kriplani and the left leaders during 1957 when kriplani was in opposition as he left congress.
12. In Sept. 1957 the Indian Ambassador in peeking sent a magazine showing some road in Aksai Chin part build by China. Now Nehru Came out of sleep and in 1958 only India Formally claimed Aksai chin as part of India.
13. Interestingly China claimed that even in the Discovery of India Written by Nehru in 1946. He himself had not included Sikkim and NEFA in India.
14. Here one thing to be noted that Nehru was such a big liar that according to the Author he hides many things from the parliament and even lies about the conversation between him and Chou En Lie which were later came out of his letters. The same he did when He was aware and knowingly let the march of Chinese army from Eastern to Western Tibet through so called Indian Aksai Chin in 1953. For 4 years he had hidden this thing from the parliament.
15. He wrote even a single telegram by himself in that period being a single man foreign ministry.
Originally Posted by jitendershooda
