THE STORY OF INDIA CHINA WAR IS OF BETRAYAL OF FRIENDSHIP AND TRUST BY THE PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY OR IN GENERAL CHINESE ARMY. IT WAS OUTCOME OF THE BIGGEST BLUNDERS IN INDIAN HISTORY RELATED TO INTELLIGENCE, STRATEGIC PLANNING AND DIPLOMACY.

THE WAR KICKED OFF ON 20TH OCTOBER 1962 AND ENDED BY AN UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE ON 22ND NOVEMBER 1962.

IN THE SINO-INDIAN WAR INDIA LOST AKSAI CHIN TO THE CHINESE THAT IS ALMOST 19 PERCENT OF THE JAMMU KASHMIR STATE, AND MORE THAN 3000 LIVES WERE LOST IN THE DEFENSE.

LAST, OF ALL IT TAUGHT BOTH SIDES A LOT OF LESSONS AND INFLICTED A PERMANENT WOUND IN INDO CHINESE RELATIONSHIPS.

INDO CHINESE RELATIONS BEFORE THE WAR

BEFORE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHINESE REPUBLIC IT WAS DIVIDED INTO 7-8 STATES CONTROLLED BY WARLORDS, COMMUNISTS AND NATIONALISTS. AMONG THE STATES THE BIGGEST OF WAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA LEAD BY CHIANG KAI SHEK OF THE NATIONALIST PARTY (SUPPORTED BY US)AND THE WEAKEST OF ALL MAO ZEDONG LEAD COMMUNIST PARTY(SUPPORTED BY SOVIET UNION).

THERE WAS A BLOODY CONFLICT BETWEEN THE CLANS AS A CIVIL WAR ERUPTED IN 1927 AND ENDED IN 1950 AFTER THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA WAS DEFEATED AND FORCED TO ESCAPE TO THE ISLAND OF TAIWAN AND ESTABLISH AS THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA THAT CHINA TILL DATE CLAIMS TO BE PART OF COMMUNIST CHINA.

THE JAPANESE INVADED CHINA IN 1936 AFTER THE MARCO POLO BRIDGE INCIDENT AND ALL THE CLANS PUT A STOP TO THE CIVIL WAR AND FOUGHT AGAINST THE INVADING FORCE AND AS JAPANESE SURRENDERED TO THE ALLIED FORCES IN 1945 THE CIVIL WAR STARTED AGAIN AND LED TO THE FORMATION OF PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.

INDIAN SUPPORT TO CHINA DURING ITS INITIAL DAYS(1950-1960)

THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA WAS FACING MAJOR CHALLENGES FOR RECOGNITION DURING ITS INITIAL DAYS AS A LEGITIMATE REPRESENTATIVE OF CHINA. ALSO, ALL THE WESTERN POWERS WANTED TO STOP THE SPREAD OF COMMUNISM SO BACKED UP THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONALISTS.

INDIA AT THIS STAGE WAS THE FIRST COUNTRY TO RECOGNIZE CHINA AND ESTABLISHED DIPLOMATIC TIES AND ALSO DECLINED THE PERMANENT UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP WHEN OFFERED BY US AND GAVE IT TO CHINA IN 1960. THIS MISTAKE OF JAWAHARLAL NEHRU IS BACKFIRING ON US STILL NOW AS TO SUPPORT THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS IN PAKISTAN, CHINA IS MISUSING ITS VETO POWER.

DURING THIS TIME TIME THERE WAS WARMTH IN INDO CHINA RELATIONS LEAVING OFF SOME BORDER DISPUTES. THUS BOTH SIDES AGREED ON A BILATERAL AGREEMENT KNOWN AS PANCHSHEEL AGREEMENT IN 1954 WHICH STATED MUTUAL NON-AGGRESSION, NON-INTERFERENCE IN EACH OTHER's INTERNAL AFFAIRS, RESPECT OF SOVEREIGNTY AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF EACH OTHER AND PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE.

THEN CAME THE CHINESE INVASION OF INDEPENDENT BUDDHIST NATION OF TIBET IN 1959 RULED BY DALAI LAMA WHICH MARKED THE BEGINNING OF CHINESE EXPANSIONIST POLICIES OF CHINA. AS REVOLT SPARKED UP IN TIBET AND USE OF MILITARY BY CHINESE DALAI LAMA GOVERNMENT WAS OVERTHROWN AND ALMOST 10000 TIBETIANS MOVED TO INDIA IN A SELF IMPOSED EXILE.

INDIA’S DECISION TO SHELTER DALAI LAMA AND THE TIBETANS MAINLY ON HUMANITARIAN GROUND CAUSED THE RIFT IN INDO-CHINESE RELATIONS.

DETORIATIONS IN RELATIONS AND WAR

THE DETORIATION IN RELATIONS STARTED WITH INDIA GIVING SHELTER TO DALAI LAMA AND TIBETIANS BUT FURTHER WORSENED BY BORDER DISPUTES OVER AKSAI CHIN, SIKKIM AND NEFA.

IN 2006 SIKKIM WAS FORMALLY RECOGNIZED BY CHINA AS A PART OF INDIA. COMING TO THE CASE OF AKSAI CHIN AS CHINA CLAIMED IT TO BE PART OF XINJIANG PROVINCE AND HOLD QUITE STRATEGIC VALUE. NEFA (NORTH-EASTERN FRONTIER AGENCY) NOW KNOWN AS ARUNACHAL PRADESH AS CLAIMED BY CHINA AS PART OF TIBET WAS ALSO A HOTSPOT FOR CONFLICT. DURING 1962 WAR CHINESE FORCES CAME UP TO 60 KM INSIDE NEFA WHICH WAS THEN RETURNED TO INDIA AFTER THE PEACE AGREEMENT IN RETURN OF AKSAI CHIN AS THERE WAS A STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT ROAD CONNECTING CHINESE PROVINCES OF XINJIANG AND TIBET AND THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION ONLY SPARKED THE CONFLICT.

AT THE SAME TIME THERE WAS WIDESPREAD POLITICAL OPPOSITION SEEING THE INCOMPETENCE OF NEHRU AND ALSO A NO CONFIDENCE MOTION WAS ALSO BROUGHT UP.

THE WAR BEGINS

IN 1959 AS THE TIBETIAN WERE UP IN ARMS AGAINST ITS CHINESE OCCUPIERS DALAI LAMA AND HIS 100000 FOLLOWERS CAME TO INDIA AND ALSO GOT POLITICAL ASYLUM AS NEHRU WANTED TO SAVE THEM FROM ATROCITIES. INDIA ALSO ADOPTED A FORWARD POLICY OF BUILDING OUTPOSTS IN FORWARDING AREAS TO DETER ANY CHINESE MILITARY ACTION. THERE WERE FREQUENT CLASHES STARTING FROM 1959 TO 1962 AND THERE WAS THINKING IN THE MILITARY BRASS THAT WAR WAS IMMINENT AND THERE WAS AN URGENT NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE ARMED FORCES BUT THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IGNORED IT AS ACCORDING TO NEHRU THERE WAS NO NEED OF AN ARMY. FIRST THE CHINESE SIDE WAS SCARED TO LAUNCH AN OFFENSIVE AGAINST AN EX BRITISH ROYAL ARMY BUT SEEING THE INCOMPETENCE OF NEHRU THEY ATTACKED ON FULL SCALE ON 20TH OCTOBER 1962. AT FIRST, IT WAS THOUGHT A SIMILAR BORDER SKIRMISH BUT SOON IT BECAME CLEAR THAT FIRING INTERVENTION IN TIBET THE CHINESE ATTACKED INDIA ON A 3225 KM FRONT CROSSING THE MACMOHAN LINE.

IN BOTH EASTERN AND WESTERN SECTORS INDIAN FORCES WERE ILL-EQUIPPED AND THE .303THE VINTAGE WORLD WAR 2 RIFLE WAS NO MATCH TO THE CHINESE COPY OF AK47 I.E. THE TYPE 56. INDIAN ARMY COULD ONLY MUSTER 15000-20000 MEN WHEREAS THE CHINESE SIDE GOT ALMOST 80000 ATTACKING ON THE POSITIONS WITH CRUCIAL SUPPLY LINES SUPPORTING THEM AND IT WAS CLEAR THE CHINESE LEADERSHIP WAS PLANNING FOR THIS FOR A QUITE LONG TIME AND AT LAST AFTER 1 MONTH OF FIGHTING INDIA LOST IT.

ANALYZING THE WAR THE HENDERSON BROOKS BHAGAT REPORT FOUND OUT THE CAUSES OF INDIA’S FAILURE IN THE WAR I.E.

FAILURE TO ACCESS THE BORDER SITUATION BY POLITICAL LEADERSHIP AND DEFENCE MINISTRY.

DIPLOMATIC FAILURE

LEADERSHIP FAILURE BY INDIAN OFFICERS(LT GEN BM KAUL IS ONE SUCH EXAMPLE WHO WAS COMMANDER OF IV CORPS IN NEFA BUT HAD NO PRIOR COMBAT EXPERIENCE AND HAD POLITICAL BACKING)

LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE TO PROVIDE ARMY WITH SUPPLIES.

LACK OF PREPARATION AND TRAINING OF SOLDIERS.

INDIAN INTELLIGENCE FAILURE(FORMATION OF RAW IN 1968 WHICH HELP US TO WIN 1971 WAR)

NO USE OF AIR FORCE THOUGH INDIAN AIR FORCE WAS QUITE SUPERIOR AT THE TIME(NEHRU FEARED THAT USE OF AIR FORCE MIGHT LED TO CHINESE USE OF THEIR AIR FORCE TO BOMB CALCUTTA WHICH THE CHINESE MILITARY WAS NOT CAPABLE OF.)

WELL PLANNED AND EQUIPPED CHINESE ARMY.

HERE COMES POLITICAL INCOMPETENCE AS NEHRU’S FRIENDSHIP WITH CHINESE PREMIER DIDN’T STOPPED THE WAR AND ALSO THE AMBITION OF NEHRU TO BECOME A WORLD LEADER STOPPED HIM TO TAKE A FIRM STANCE, NOR HE WAS ABLE TO ALIGN WITH THE WESTERN POWERS ON GROWING CHINESE INFLUENCE NOR SPEAK UP ON THE ILLEGAL OCCUPATION OF TIBET. HE ALSO IGNORED INDIAN ARMY GENERAL K S THIMAYYA RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE FEELING OF BETRAYAL MADE NEHRU SICK AND ULTIMATELY LEAD TO HIS DEATH IN 1964.

ALSO, THE DEFENCE MINISTRY LED BY V K KRISHNA MENON FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPENDING THREAT AND TO MODERNIZE THE INDIAN ARMY. MANY REPORTS SUGGESTING CHINESE BUILD UP AND THREATS WERE FORWARDED BY LT GEN THORAT BUT IT WAS ALSO IGNORED. EVEN DUE TO VK MENON’S DIFFERENCES WITH ARMY CHIEF LED TO RESIGNATION OF GEN THIMAYYA.

ALSO, THERE WAS DIPLOMATIC FAILURE AS THOUGH INDIA HAD SIZABLE CLOUT IN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY IT FAILED TO SOLVE THE BORDER DISPUTE WITH CHINA AND ALSO IGNORED CHINESE CLAIMS TILL 1955 AND THEN STARTED THE SERIES OF BORDER SKIRMISHES.

INTERNATIONAL REACTION TO THE WAR

THE 1962 WAR COULDN’T GAIN MUCH ATTENTION AS DUE TO THE ONGOING CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS IN WHICH SOVIET AND US BOTH WERE INVOLVED AND THUS GAIN MEDIA COVERAGE AS IT BRING THE WORLD NEAR TO A NUCLEAR WAR.

WHEN APPROACHED TO US KENNEDY SUPPORTED INDIA AS IT WAS A DEMOCRACY AND SUPPLIED INDIA WITH ARMS AND AGREED TO INTERVENE AND PROVIDE MILITARY SUPPORT AND ALSO PLANNED TO SEND USS KITTY HAWK IN BAY OF BENGAL.

SURPRISINGLY INDIA’S MOST TRUSTED FRIEND TOOK A NEUTRAL STANCE AND ALSO SUSPENDED THE SUPPLY OF MIGS WHICH WAS RESUMED AFTER THE WAR HAD ENDED.

THE BORDER DISPUTES ARE STILL GOING ON AND DISCUSSION AT VARIOUS LEVELS NEVER YIELDED SOMETHING MEANINGFUL.

THOUGH IN THE AFTERMATHS THERE IS NO SIGN OF TRUST AMONG THE TWO SIDES AND BOTH COUNTRIES ECONOMIES AND MILITARIES HAVE GROWN EXPONENTIALLY BUT THERE IS GAP BETWEEN MILITARIES AS INDIAN MILITARY WAS PLAGUED WITH PROBLEMS OF LOW FUNDING AND SCAMS DURING 70 YEARS OF CONGRESS RULE.

BUT NOW THE MILITARY IS COMING IN SHAPE AND THERE LIES THE HOPE OF PEACE AND STABILITY IN INDO-SINO RELATIONS.

~ Rayan

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