Insurgency Likely to Increase After Doklam: Former Army Lt General

He claimed that the Chinese have not left Doklam but have only stepped back a little.

A signboard seen from the Indian side of the India-China border.

(Photo: Reuters)

Insurgency is likely to increase in the northeast after the Doklam stand-off with China and there are already signs of it in the region, former GOC-in-C Eastern Command Lt General JR Mukherjee said in Kolkata on Monday, 29 January.

Whenever India has annoyed China or there has been a border related issue between the two countries, it (China) has aided insurgents in the north east, Mukherjee told reporters while commenting on the possible fall-out of the 74-day stand-off with the Chinese at Doklam in the Sikkim sector.

“Consequent to Doklam, insurgency will increase in the northeast and signs of these are already evident,” the retired Lt General, who is the vice-president (operations) of strategic thinktank CENERS-K, said.

Mukherjee said that Doklam is neither the first time nor the last that China has made such an attempt. Its army will keep coming and camp at places of that country's strategic interest.

“In Doklam, they (China) will eventually try to twist the Bhutanese state to get what they want,” he said and claimed that the Chinese have not left Doklam but have only stepped back a little.

Centre for East and North-East Regional Studies (CENERS), Kolkata, which has as its patron former Army chief Gen Shankar Roy Chowdhury and advisor former Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, is organising a two-day dialogue on India-China issues and relations between the two Asian giants.

The seminar, to be held on 2 and 3 February, is scheduled to be attended by Minister of State for External Affairs Gen (retd) VK Singh and will delve on issues ranging from political, economic and military capabilities to problems and prospects relating to bilateral investments.

Prof Guo Xetang, director of Institute of International Strategy and Policy Analysis, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, will be the lone Chinese speaker at the event, which is also scheduled to be attended by US and Japanese diplomats.

Sino-India Border Row Should be Resolved in a Calm Way: China

Defending its military infrastructure build up in Doklam, China on Monday claimed that the area falls within its sovereignty and said Sino-India differences over the border should be resolved in a "calm way" through the existing mechanisms.

Commenting on Indian envoy to China Gautam Bambawale's interview to state-run Chinese daily 'The Global Times' where he said the status quo should not be changed along the sensitive areas of the 3,488-km border, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that differences can be addressed through existing mechanisms.

"I believe that you are blowing it (Doklam standoff) out of proportion. I believe that in the post-Doklam period, India and China need to be talking to each other and conversing with each other much more than in the past" at different levels including at the leadership level, Bambawale had told the daily.

“Indeed, we have noted that the ambassador talked about it while addressing the issue,” Hua said when asked about Indian envoy’s remarks.

The two sides should look at border issues in a calm way and resolve relevant issues through the existing border related mechanisms so that we can create conditions and enabling environment to properly solve our differences.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying

The Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by historic treaty and treaty under effective jurisdiction of China.

China claims that the Sikkim section of the boundary is resolved under the 1890 treaty between UK and China.

"China has always upheld our sovereignty along the border area including (Dong Long) Dokalam," she said.

Some Indian media has carried reports about the military build up and infrastructure building in the (Dokalam) area.They are very excited about it.