A disagreement between two or more territorial entites is termed as territorial dispute or boundary dispute. It is also about who controls a particular area of territory.
Territorial dispute often arises from indistinct and unclear vernacular used in a treaty that set up the original boundary. They are also a major cause of wars and terrorism.
India faces territorial matters with many of its neighbors. Over the past 73 years, it has only succeeded to resolve its boundary matters with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The un-demarcated boundaries with Myanmar, Bhutan and recently with China, Pakistan and Nepal have erupt into tensions.
✓CHINA
•The Sino-Indian border is mainly divided into three sectors i.e, WESTERN, MIDDLE, and EASTERN sector.
•4 states viz., Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and a Union Territories of Ladakh share a border with China.
•If we talk about Western sector, India shares about 2152 km long border with China. Territorial dispute over Aksai Chin comes under this sector. India claims it as a part of its territory, while China claims it to be a part of Xinjiang. Line of Actual Control (LAC) is the demarcating line which is presently separating Indian areas of Ladakh from Aksai Chin.
•The border length in the Middle sector is about 625 km long which runs along the watershed area from Ladakh to Nepal. Mainly two states Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand touches this border with Tibet (China) in this sector and both states do not have much disagreement over the border in this area.
•The boundary line in the Eastern sector is called McMahon Line. This Line is considered illegal and unacceptable by China claiming that Tibetan representatives who had signed the Convention held in Shimla in 1914 which describe the McMahon line on the map were not having rights to do so. McMahon line runs from the eastern end of Bhutan to a point near the Talu Pass at the trijunction of Tibet, India and Myanmar. 1140 km long border is shared between India and China in this sector.
How serious is the situation?
“It’s not just India, China has border disputes with 18 countries”.This is the first time after the 1962 War that soldiers have died in clashes on the Sino-Indian border in Ladakh. Even otherwise, the last deaths on the border were an ambush of an Assam Rifles patrol in Arunachal Pradesh by the Chinese in 1975. But the last real military engagement between the two armies was at Nathu La in Sikkim in 1967, in which 88 Indian soldiers lost their lives, and more than 300 Chinese soldiers were killed.
But all these incidents were prior to the two countries signing various agreements for maintaining peace and tranquility on the border.
Moreover, at least 20 soldiers including a Commanding Officer lost their lives on the late-evening and night of 15th June, 2020 in galwan valley.
#Significance of Galwan Valley:
China over the years has been slowly ‘salami-slicing’ its way towards Siachen glacier’s eastern limit, i.e. the Sesser ridge, also called the Sub Sector North (SSN).
The maintenance of SSN is extremely difficult for India because of inadequate infrastructure and hostile weather conditions. However, on Chinese side the road network is well developed right up to the LAC and hence, SSN is highly vulnerable to access by PLA.
India has constructed a 224 km Durbuk-Shyok-Daulet Beg Oldie (DBO) road and an airstrip at DBO to service the troops deployed in SSN. However, during the summers months (May to October), this route is not available for the movement of troops as the Shyok river used to get flooded because of the melting glacier.
The route from Darbuk to DBO has now become all weather and useable throughout the year after a 430 meter long bridge across the Shyok River was inaugurated by Indian Defence Minister on 21 October 2019.This bridge has reduced the movement time to the SSN by half.
After the incident in the Galwan Valley on 15 june several Indian government officials said that border tensions will not impact trade between India and China in spite of some Indian campaigns relating boycotting Chinese products.However, in the following days, various types of action were taken on the economic front including cancellation and additional scrutiny of certain contracts with Chinese firms. The entry of the Chinese firm into strategic markets in India such as the telecom sector were forced to withdraw.
This all can be stopped by simply slapping Chinese tactically and boycotting their products as there is no scope to resolve border issues with China through dialogues.
As we all know that China is the route cause of Terrorism and all kind of Insurgencies in our country. China is the sole reason behind our relations with our neighborhood countries.
√ NEPAL
India and Nepal shares an open border, which have not been always the most amicable of relations, swinging from one end to the other. The border area of Kalapani is a long-standing dispute between these two countries. This dispute has the potentiality to interrupt the other aspects of their ties, especially in the realm of the economy and cross-border security.
On May 8 this year, India inaugurated the Darchula-Lipulekh pass link road, cutting across the disputed Kalapani area which is used by Indian pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar. Nepal reciprocate by calling for the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, to ferry a formal protest.
The present scenario is that Nepal has published a revised official map incorporating the territory from the Limpiyadhura source of the Kali to Kalapani and Lipulekh pass in the northeast of the triangular region as its territory.
Both the countries should maintain thier borders in a formal and friendly manner, to avoid other disputes such as the one over the Kalapani area. As the Nepali Parliament has taken up the issue seriously, the two governments should fill the communication gap as a matter of urgency.
Both India and Nepal must invest in negotiating new border management agreements to take into consideration recent events. After all, the demands of the times have changed since the time the Kalapani border dispute first emerged. In the process, the people of both countries should be prioritised as there is a very well saying that India and Nepal shares roti-beti ka rishta with each other.
√ PAKISTAN
•Pakistan can take the advantage of Sino-Indian border clash for the Kashmir issue. Since the partition of British India in 1947 and creation of modern States of India and Pakistan, the two countries have been involved in four wars and many border skirmishes and military stand-offs.
• All the major conflicts between these two countries, whether direct or indirect is mainly because of Kashmir issue. Several other reasons of conflicts are border dispute, Water dispute and terror controversy.
• Siachen Glacier: The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakorams in the Himalayas just east of the Actual Ground Position Line between India-Pakistan. All the saichen Glacier is controlled by India itself including all tributary glaciers.
• Saltoro Ridge: The Saltoro Mountains is a subrange of the Karakoram Heights or of Saltoro Ridge.
They both are claimed as part of Ladakh union territory by India and as part of Gilgit-Baltistan by Pakistan.
•Sir Creek: It is a strip of water disputed between India and Pakistan in the Rann of Kutch marshlands.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan recently unveiled a new political map that includes all of Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Sir Creek and Junagadh.
India’s response on Pakistan’s new map?
India has dismissed the map as an “exercise in absurdity” that made “untenable claims” to territories in India.
Considering the fact that the COVID pandemic has hit all countries quite severely and especially, Pakistan’s dire economic state will preclude any such misadventure by this ‘rogue nation’ at this stage.
√ BANGLADESH
•Boundary disputes between India and Bangladesh were resolved through the implementation of the historic “Land Boundary Agreement”.
•The Land Boundary Agreement was signed in 1974 to exchange enclaves and simplify their international border. An amendment to this agreement was adopted by the two countries on 7 May 2015, when the Parliament of India passed the 100th Amendment to the Constitution of india.
√ MYANMAR
Between India and Myanmar there is no boundary dispute. However, certain sectors of the India-Myanmar boundary remain to be demarcated.
Though there is some dispute between the land in Kabaw Valley near Hollenphai village, Moreh of Manipur state, India and Namphalong village, Tamu of Sagaing Region, Myanmar.
CONCLUSION:
As India is growing, so are the obstacles in its aspirations to become a developed country. It needs to tread on this path very cautiously as its surrounded by adversaries almost on every side. India has to protect it’s mainland as well as guard its frontiers more than ever before in this present world where almost everyone is trying to capture the land.
SOURCES :
•Wikipedia
•Anadolu Agency Wiki
•Drishtiias
•www.cfr.org
•Olivegreens.co.in
•The Hindu
–AJAY MISHRA