File picture shows an Indian jawan (R) with a Chinese soldier at the Arunachal - Tibet border
Dharamsala, November 23 - India is fast-tracking new troop formations in the North-East to tackle China’s massive deployment of forces on the Tibetan border, reported The Times of India.
India has deployed two new infantry divisions in the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh which China claims as its territory. Indian Defence ministry officials said the two infantry mountain divisions include 1260 officers and 35011 soldiers, and that it will be fully “operational with specialized equipment” by 2011. Similarly, the first battalion of Arunachal Scouts will be up and running by May 2011.
"The two divisions are now virtually in place, with officers and soldiers already being posted for them. They are in process of getting new equipment, which includes armoured personnel carriers and light howitzers," said an official.
"As of now, the government has approved one battalion of Arunachal Scouts. Sikkim Scouts is in the pipeline," said an officer. Patented on the Ladakh Scouts, which was elevated to a full-fledged infantry regiment after its sterling role in dislodging Pakistani intruders during the 1999 Kargil conflict, Arunachal Scouts are also based on the "sons of the soil" concept.
Meanwhile, Chinese experts dismissed the Indian move, saying it is a “misstep” on New Delhi's part.
The latest deployment of Indian battalions comes three weeks ahead of Chinese Premiere Wen Jiabao’s official visit to India to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two sides.
"Since a war with China in 1962, the Indian army has set up a total of 10 mountain divisions in the region," Wang Dehua, the Chinese state run Global Times quoted an Chinese expert on India at the Shanghai International Studies Center as saying. "Such a move aims to add chips to the upcoming China-India talks on border disputes."
Wang further added that "those hawkish groups in New Delhi are getting above themselves after the US voiced support for India's bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council."
Sun Shihai of the Asia Pacific studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said India’s plan to increase troops in the region adds difficulties to the border talks. "By making such a move, India showed its unwillingness to make a concession during the demarcation talks," he said.
However, the Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told China’s state run news agency Xinhua on Sunday that the two sides "should regard each other's rise as an opportunity, not a challenge."
"We have had times of difficulty in our relationship. But despite those difficulties, we have managed to raise the level of our dialogue and strengthen our cooperation to create an architecture for dialogue," Rao said. "That should be the basis for what we do in the future."
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