Asaduddin Owaisi writes to PM Modi, demands white paper on India-China border situation

AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi voicing his concerns on the India-China faceoff at the Line of Actual Control. Maintaining that a national consensus and united response was necessary at this juncture, he lamented that his party was not invited to the all-party meeting convened by the PM. He alleged that the criteria of the invitees were designed in a manner to exclude important points of view of political parties with elected representatives.

Thereafter, he opined that it was essential to convene the Parliament session at the earliest so that the opposition can seek accountability from the ruling party. Owaisi stressed that the best way to avenge the martyrdom of Indian soldiers was to recover the Indian territory in Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso lake allegedly occupied by China. He also urged the Centre to appoint an independent review committee to look into the sequence of events leading to the loss of Indian lives and territory. According to the AIMIM, the Centre must publish the committee's findings in a whitepaper and make it accessible to the public.

Owaisi demanded that the whitepaper should give clarity on the following questions:-

1. How much Indian territory is under Chinese occupation since May 2014?
2. How many security personnel has India lost due to Chinese incursions or faceoffs?
3. What is the status of the territory at Naku La (Sikkim) where a faceoff was reported between Indian and Chinese forces on May 9?
4. How many times talks have been held between your government and the government of China since you took office?
5. What is the status and scope with negotiations with the Chinese?
6. How many incursions have been made into Indian territory by Chinese forces?
7. Who is responsible for the loss of lives of 20 Indian Army personnel in the recent faceoff?
8. If the Indian soldiers were reportedly armed in the recent standoff, why did they not open fire following the killing of their Commanding Officer by China?
9. What were the intelligence inputs about Chinese movements that were ignored by the government?
10. Has China communicated that India violated the bilateral border agreements by altering the constitutional status of Ladakh by making it a Union Territory and abrogating Article 370?
11. Why has the government not disclosed information regarding negotiations with China since the current government came to power in 2014?

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The LAC faceoff

20 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred when a violent faceoff took place on Monday night when the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. As per the Editor-in-Chief of the Chinese newspaper Global Times, the Chinese side also suffered casualties during the physical clash. Sources revealed that an Indian colonel was attacked by Chinese Army personnel with iron rods without any provocation leading to a strong retaliation from the Indian side.

This physical hand-to-hand combat went on for many hours on Monday, sources revealed. Speaking at the meeting with Chief Ministers on Wednesday, PM Modi issued a strong statement on the martyrdom of 20 Indian Army personnel. Stressing that bravery was a part of Indian tradition, the PM assured the people of the country that the sacrifices of the soldiers would not go in vain. On Thursday, the Indian Army revealed that a total of 76 personnel had been injured out of which 18 admitted to the Leh hospital can resume duty in about 15 days. As per the Army, the remaining 58 soldiers should be back on duty within a week's time.

Read: China Confirms Indian Army's Stance, Says 'No Indian Personnel Captured' In Galwan Clashes

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