Nehru’s Folly and the ‘Loss’ of Tibet continues....

Soon after the Chinese PM’s visit, however, there were instances of Chinese troops crossing the passes named in the central sector, and China lodged a formal protest on July 17, 1954 against the presence of Indian troops in Barahoti (which they called Wu-je), three km south of what India considered to be the border in the Niti Pass area.

Thereafter there were a number of instances of such complaints and counter complaints, though the patrol encounters remained cordial, the patrol commanders of each side telling the other that this was their own territory.

From then on there were such instances in the Shipki La area in Himachal Pradesh, up to September 12, 1956. Here the Chinese regularly patrolled south of the Shipki La to Hupsang Khad, about 12 km south of the pass.

There were polite formal diplomatic notes exchanged on each such intrusion. The big lacuna lay in the fact that while India believed the borders had been agreed to as the line of the passes along the main Himalayan crest line as a part of the 1954 treaty, China did not believe so.

To be continued.....