Friday, September 18, 2020

Depsang is a headache for India

 The present standoff with China in Ladakh has had one positive: the large number of insightful military analyses it has spawned.

India has been on the defensive in Ladakh ever since China upped its belligerence a few months ago. There is an impression that our moves in the southern part of Pangong lake have changed the scenario and China is seriously rattled.

It may be that the Pangong thrust has moved things to our advantage in that area. But the real problem for us is Depsang where, as military analyst Sushant Singh points out, China blocks access to 900 sq kms of our territory. That blockage is a real headache because it could limit India's access to Siachen Glacier and give Pakistan a chance to mount an attack on it. As Singh points out, it is not that the PLA and the Pakistani army can link up. However, acting in collusion, they can pose a serious threat to our positions. Singh notes that the defence minister was conspicuously silent on Depsang in his recent speech to Parliament.

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