Punjab CM Amarinder Singh warns 'this is not 1962' amid Indo-China border tensions

Amid tensions along Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday has stated that India does t want a war while also warning China against any attempt to intrude into Indian territory. In a major statement, former Indian Army Captain said that India would t tolerate any bullying from Chinese side, adding that it is t 1962.  Punjab Chief Minister who had served in  Indian Army and participated in  1965 Indo-Pakistan War stated that China cant stop India from building any infrastructure on its side of border.

"While we do t want war, we will t tolerate any bullying by Beijing. This is t 1962," he said, according to an official statement. "y ( Chinese) do t listen to us when we object to m making roads inside our area in Aksai Chin, but when we make one road inside our area y react with aggression," he added.

Issuing a warning to Pakistan, Singh also said that Pakistan which is trying to foment trouble in Punjab and or parts of India by pushing terrorists, weapons from across border through use of drones and or means will pay a price for it.  "A robust three-tier security structure, comprising BSF, Punjab Police and Indian Army, was monitoring and securing border with Pakistan 24x7. Punjab Police had, in recent months, busted 32 terror modules and seized more than 200 weapons," he added. 

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Indo-China border row

re have been mounting tensions at Indo-China border after a few standoffs between Indian and Chinese army in past month. However, as per sources, high-level Indian and Chinese military commanders met at designated points along Line of Actual Control (LAC) on May 22 and 23 to defuse present tension. Moreover, diplomatic channels in New Delhi and Beijing are also working towards a peaceful resolution. 

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Speaking about current border standoff along LAC, he said, "Our government, in any case, will t let self-respect of nation come down. face-off has happened in past as well. We have a system in place to solve problem. Diplomatic talks are going on."

Defence Minister outrightly ruled out possibility of any sort of mediation, a day after US President Trump had claimed that he spoke with PM Modi. Earlier, government sources had also clarified that PM had only spoken to US president on April 4 about HCQ. As neighboring Nepal has also raised border issues with India recently, Defence Minister Singh said that country has always shown 'brorhood' towards Nepal and is ready for talks with country's PM KP Oli.

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Face-off between China and India 

In face-off on May 5, scores of Indian and Chinese army personnel clashed along rrn bank of Pangong Lake and even resorted to stone-pelting. A number of soldiers on both sides sustained injuries. It was first case of troops from two sides exchanging blows after a similar incident around Pangong Lake in August 2017. Moreover, Chinese soldiers allegedly entered Indian-controlled territory of Ladakh at three different points, erecting tents and guard posts.

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In a separate incident, nearly 150 Indian and Chinese military personnel were engd in a face-off near Naku La Pass in Sikkim sector of Si-India border on Saturday. At least 10 soldiers from both sides sustained injuries in incident. Moreover, Chinese military helicopters were seen flying close to Line of Actual Control on at least a couple of occasions following clashes after which a fleet of Su-30 fighters of Indian Air Force too carried out sorties in area, sources said. Earlier, troops of India and China were engd in a 73-day stand-off in Doklam tri-junction in 2017 which even triggered fears of a war between two nuclear-armed neighbours.

India-China border dispute covers 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control, de-facto border between two countries. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of sourn Tibet while India contests it. Both sides have been asserting that pending final resolution of boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in border areas.