China occupied 640 sq km of Indian territory in Ladakh during UPA 2: Report
China had occupied 640 sq km of Indian territory in Eastern Ladakh. This happened during the second term of UPA regime, when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minster.
New Delhi: As the stand-off escalates at the Indo-China border with both sides deploying additional troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), some more chilling and explosive details have poured in.
Making a sensational revelation, a news agency has reported that China had occupied 640 sq km of Indian territory in Eastern Ladakh. This happened during the second term of UPA regime, when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minster.
In 2013, former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran after his visit to the region had informed the government that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) patrol had set a new Line of Actual Control (#LAC), thus occupying 640 sq km of #Indian territory in Eastern #Ladakh. pic.twitter.com/2TIPp1yrC1
— IANS Tweets (@ians_india) May 28, 2020
And, this was confirmed by former Foreign Secretary Shyam Sharan who had submitted a report on this. After surveying the region in 2013, he informed the govt that Chinese PLA patrol had set a new Line of Actual Control (LAC), the agency reported.
Manmohan Singh led-UPA govt denied the report but the Chinese soldiers had virtually prevented Indian troops from patrolling in its own side of the territory.
Skirmishes at Line of Actual Control (LAC)
The Line of Actual Control (LAC) came into existence when China occupied Aksai Chin in 1962. In 1950s, China had clandestinely built 179 km road in the Indian territory of Aksai Chin, which eventually led to a dispute and talks, followed by the 1962 war.
Chinese troops intrusion in Indian territory is not new, owing to the porous and un-demarcated LAC. Usually, Chinese PLA intrusions occur 250-300 times annually, more so July and August when the weather is favorable, reports suggest.