DNA
Islamabad – A high level international panel of experts expressed their deep concerns over the China-India flaring situation on the Ladakh border. Speaking to a webinar on “China-India escalation in Galvan valley – implications for the region and global peace”, the experts said India is aspiring to emerge as a US proxy element against China and other forces in the region.
China’s response to India in Galvan valley Ladakh would strongly impact the Indian aggressive plans in the region including to be accepted as a stronger force.
India is on to support the US ‘curtail China’ strategy that would result negative implications for the region. India can engage China into armed conflicts on a comparatively longer border besides increasing violation of Line of Control (LOC) on the Kashmir border.
The experts said: Befitting response to India on the high-altitude borders would not only protect the Chinese investment in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the region but also help Pakistan for its strategic and development initiatives in the northern parts including Siachen.
Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) organized the international webinar on Saturday. The main speakers included Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, chairman Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and chairman Pak-China Institute, Defense and international relations expert Lt General (retd.) Talat Masood, well-known senior journalist and correspondent daily Dawn from Washington DC Anwar Iqbal, Researcher and Analyst with BRI Strategy Institute of Tsinghua University in Beijing Zoon Ahmad Khan, and researcher on China-US relation faculty member at the National Defense University (DU) Dr Sameera Imran. Webinar was hosted by the Devcom-Pakistan and DTN Director Munir Ahmed.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said India is more interested in showing its muscles in the region while the US is trying to avoid conflicts and wars. But, US-China economic conflict is getting up that would lead to a serious situation in the region where India would like to play its role against China. India still have a bitter taste of 1962 war with China in mouth and the recent misadventure has added more bitterness. India’s aggressive plans to add Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to its map have been shattered because of the humiliation it faced in the Galvan valley escalation. The situation however has added some more hope to Pakistan on Kashmir issue, being China becoming third country to the longstanding issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
Lt General (Retd.) Talat Masood said its not time to flare up security situation on the borders that would destroy all the economic and social development in the region. India shall understand that China is not weaker or lenient like Pakistan and have ability to sufficiently dent the Indian plans and vested interests. Even Pakistan has improved its strategic and defense capacity. India must have noticed in February this year that it could have befitting response from Pakistan.
Devcom-Pakistan Director Munir Ahmed said Pakistan should support China unconditionally against India’s unprovoked aggression. China’s strong response would physical and politically halt India’s wild and weird plans to maneuver the region for the US strategic interests. This time all the US allies would be gathering the region against China, and apparently India would be the facilitator. Pakistan, China and other like-minded nations should have a joint strategy prepared and put in place before its too late.
Journalist Anwar Iqbal said: The present US government wanted to curtail the increasing trade and global influence of China at any cost. Many countries want to be part of the US interventions against China, and India is one of them. It may not be a planned strategy, but India want to be the US proxy against China by engaging China on its 3500 km border in one conflict or other. Having nod of the Asia-Pacific group in the UN Security Council for nonpermanent membership, India intends to play as superior than any country of the region even more powerful than China.
He said the US government could not control China’s trade despite all efforts even during the pandemic. In no time, the US markets were flooded with the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and other Covid-19 kits manufactured in China despite China had suffered severely by the pandemic. The US government and their allies should understand that China could not be defeated in global trade and development interventions until their labour market is competed.
Zoon Ahmad Khan Said that the US and their allies feel threatened from China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that is a mega intervention to improve the economic conditions in different parts of the world through improved connectivity and network. China’s policy is to reduce conflicts and build up harmony among the countries and regions for more prosperity. However, US-India collaboration wants their hegemony in the region and want to engage China into conflicts to weaken its economic initiatives.
Dr Sameera Imran said the greater south Asian region needs more balanced approach towards providing everyone fair opportunities to play. We cannot deny the US interest and investment in the region. Pakistan needs to extract its benefit by adopting balanced strategies knowing that the region is quite volatile in terms stakes and vested interests of different powers in the neighborhood.
