China's plan in Ladakh dates back to 1950s: exiled Kashmiri leader

NEW DELHI: Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri Chairman of United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) an exiled leader who hails from Pakistani occupied Jammu & Kashmir (POJK) has strongly condemned Chinese invasion in Ladakh and Sino-Pak axis in the region.

He said in a statement issued from Europe that the current standoff and escalating tension between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh at the Line of Actual Control is very sensitive and dangerous to peace and security in the region.

Kashmiri said that in 1947 legitimate ruler of the erstwhile state of Jammu &Kashmir wanted independence but Pakistan did not respect and honor the right to self determination of people and on 22nd October 1947 invaded Jammu & Kashmir which resulted in forced division and destruction which continues till date.

In 1950 China began constructing a road through Aksai Chin in the northeastern part of Ladakh. That road, now named NH 219, was a gravel pavement that China constructed during the mid-1950s. China kept expanding its presence in Aksai Chin.

In 1962 China occupied more territory of the State of Jammu & Kashmir during the India Sino war. In 1963 Pakistani military ruler General Ayyub Khan gifted thousands of square miles of land in the state of Jammu & Kashmir to China. The Sino-Pakistan Agreement (also known as the Sino-Pakistan Frontier Agreement and Sino-Pak Boundary Agreement) is a 1963 document between the governments of Pakistan and China establishing the border between those countries. Pakistan recognizes Chinese sovereignty over hundreds of square kilometers of land in Northern Kashmir and Ladakh which is a disputed territory according to United Nations resolutions.

“Pakistan has no locus standi on Jammu & Kashmir and must not be involved in conspiracies of further division and occupation of our territories. China-Pakistan relations are simple and complicated at the same time. Indeed, Beijing never remained in a position nor was it willing to fight Pakistan’s wars. Nevertheless, Pakistan’s fractured relations with the United States enhanced its military cooperation, and now it is very much dependent on China,” according to Kashmiri

This is why Pakistan gave free hand to China to construct China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other mega projects in the disputed territories of Gilgit Baltistan and so-called Azad Kashmir. According to the constitution of Pakistan these areas are neither part of Pakistan nor an independent entity but a disputed territory and part of erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir, according to Kashmiri.

“Pakistani authorities in Islamabad may accept Chinese assurances in order not to hurt Pakistan but practically it becomes a colony of China. Pakistan has always played a double-game with the people of the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Islamabad claims that she is a champion of the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu & Kashmir. The constitution of Pakistan on the one hand says that the future of Jammu Kashmir shall be decided according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people while on the other hand it bars and denies the right of independence of the people of Gilgit Baltistan and so-called Azad Kashmir by imposing draconian acts and laws.”

According to an Act enacted by Pakistan “No person or political party shall be allowed to take part in activities prejudicial or detrimental to the ideology of state’s accession to Pakistan” This clause is a clear violation of the freedom and fundamental rights and contrary to claims of Pakistan itself at national and international levels.

“We have serious concerns over the current standoff in Ladakh but Pakistani officials and ex-military officers and defense analysts seem very happy and have praised China for its aggressive move in Ladakh,” according to Kashmiri.