India is holding out with courage in Ladakh, and there’s neither war nor peace in the snowy mountainous region for now. And, New Delhi has its eyes fixed on Pakistan too to detect any untoward activities. Two developments on Tuesday signify that tension will continue to build up along the borders on both sides, and the present military reinforcements there will continue.
China, having faced more resistance than expected along the LAC, has sought to provoke India with a new taunt that it will not recognize Ladakh as a Union Territory — an independent status that it was bestowed with, a year ago, by New Delhi during the bifurcation of the Jammu and Kashmir province into three centrally administered entities. This Chinese stand must sound like music to the ears of Pakistani generals and the rest of the establishment there. But it is also a day when India sought to throw a spanner in the works in Pakistan’s wheels in Gilgit-Baltistan, the restive province which India has a special claim on.
New Delhi’s protest against Pakistan’s move to hold an election in GB in November and declare the region as its fifth province is seen as a fresh reinforcement of the Indian stand that GB is part of India as per its accession in 1947, which was later occupied by Pakistan. The Modi government has repeatedly declared that India wanted this province back as it was part of the wider Kashmir. UN refers to GB as ‘Pakistan administered Kashmir’, while India sees it as ‘Pakistan Occupied Kashmir’; its geographical contiguity with Ladakh being a significant factor.
Pakistan is emboldened to make GB its fifth province, against calls by Azad Kashmir leaders there, because it is no more restrained by former UN resolutions which had clubbed it with the Kashmir dispute. India’s change of Jammu and Kashmir’s status obviously emboldens Pakistan to bring GB under its direct administration. How this could play out in the UN is worth a watch, but Pakistan will have full support from China at the world body.
The result is that there is increasing convergence in the perceptions of Pakistan and China in matters related to Kashmir and Ladakh, and this is bound to raise the temperature in the geographical region further. India will be readying for a two-front war if China chooses to complicate matters further in Ladakh and beyond. Pakistan could be hoping to take full advantage of such a situation as, after the surgical strikes and Balakot, it remains on a weak wicket.