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Part of my duty here is to help and encourage my co-citizens to write and communicate effectively in English, the lingua franca of the modern age in many senses. This can be time consuming and it inevitably entails neglecting other matters that are pending in public interest, momentarily at least. Here is one such example which I have edited and I hope other co-citizens also adopt this path, as we will find it difficult to communicate our rights struggle to the rest of the world in Urdu:
Ladakh
Strategic
significance (for India Pakistan & China) and Chinese interference in the
region
To understand the strategic and
geographical importance of Ladakh, we will begin by briefly providing an
introduction to the territory:
1) Ladakh
Ladakh
is the Land of Passes (La = Passes & Dakh = Land) and is the largest in
area among the three main regions of the Jammu & Kashmir State viz. Jammu, Kashmir
and Ladakh. It has an area of 96,390 square kilometres (37,216 square miles)*. Until
1979 it was a single district before it was divided into 3 districts viz. Leh,
Zanskar and Kargil.
The
entire range is traversed by the North-West and South-East into Ladakh and
Zanskar ranges, flanked on the North by the Karakoram Range and on the South by
the great Himalayan range. The Indus River and its major tributaries; the
Shyok-Nurba, Chang-
Chenmo,
Hanle, Zanskar and Suru-Dras rivers drain the region. Glacio-fluvial processes
aided by freeze-thaw weathering form the high altitude landscape of Ladakh.
Ladakh
gained geopolitical significance in the 1940's due to partitioning disputes
with Pakistan to the North and since the 1960s with China to the East. Historically,
Ladakh was an independent kingdom from about A.D. 950 until 1834 when Hindu
Dogras from Jammu (which is South West of Ladakh) invaded it. After the Dogras
gained control of Kashmir; Ladakh and neighbouring Baltistan fell under the
rule of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. Following the Indo-Pakistan war of
1947, the Baltistan region fell on the Pakistan side of the cease-fire line and
the rest of Ladakh became part of the Indian controlled state of Jammu and
Kashmir.
Today,
geopolitically contested borders with Pakistan and China bind Ladakh. In the
early 1960's a
substantial area of Eastern Ladakh was annexed by China. Amidst increasing
tensions between India and Pakistan, the Chinese invasion of Tibet in the 1950's
was followed by their occupation of the Aksai Chin region of Ladakh in 1962. Consequently,
Ladakh has become one of India's
most important strategic zones. Its geographic location and border disputes
with Pakistan and China have assured a firm foothold for Indian army presence
since.
2) Climate
Ladakh
has an extremely harsh environment and is one of the highest and driest inhabited
places on earth. Its climate is referred to as a 'cold desert' climate due to
its combined features of arctic and desert climates. These include wide diurnal
and seasonal fluctuations in temperature, from -40°C in winter to +35°C in
summer and extremely low precipitation, annually to the measure of 10 cm to 30 cm
primarily from snow. Due to high altitude and low humidity, the radiation level
is amongst the highest in the world (up to 6-7Kwh/mm). The soil is thin, sandy
and porous. These combined factors explain why the entire area is nearly devoid
of vegetation, with the exception of valley floors and irrigated areas.
The people
of Ladakh living close to the international border have to deal with special
problems arising out of their distinct geo-physical situation and concomitant
socio-economic conditions.
3)
Land
Ladakh
in its relatively small area encompasses an enormous variety of landscapes,
their difference being based primarily on the great range of altitudes.
Altitude
differences entail enormous ecological diversities and these in turn affect the
way people adapt to their environment. The
land surface can be broadly divided into the upper zone above 4,500
metres and the lower zone between 4,500 and 2,700 metres. About 74 percent of the
land surface is in the upper zone. The land below this altitude has vast
stretches of barren, rugged and rocky terrain interspersed by pockets of
cultivation and a few natural pastures. Most human settlement is situated at
elevations of 2,800 metres to 4,100 metres above sea level.
The
soil in this territory ranges from gravely and sandy loams on the alluvial fans
to sandy and silt clay loams on the flood plains of the Indus river.
Ladakh's soil is described as skeletal
and calcareous with alkaline reaction. By and large the soil is coarse and
sandy having varying quantities of pebble. The soils are characterized by low
organic matter content and poor water retention capacity. The pH (measure of
acidity) of soil ranges from 7.4 to 9.5. There is a potential problem of salinisation
especially on the flood plains of the Indus river. The variety of soils in
association with elevation and moisture availability suggests the need for an
agro-ecosystem based diversified approach to agricultural development in
Ladakh.
4) Socio-economic set-up
The
primary social unit is at the household level, while religion is seen to be
equally important. Hindi, Urdu and English are taught from grade I, while most
speak Ladakhi with local variants. The Changpa speak a Tibetan dialect of Ladakhi.
Leh's population
is majority Buddhist and historically associated with Tibet, while Kargil
consists mostly of Balti and Muslim Dards.
Nearly
all activity is agricultural, with the exception of the large number of
monasteries and the major regional trading towns of Leh and Kargil.
This
is changing with increasing (Indian) national and international influence.
5) Culture
For
centuries the area of Ladakh was home to a rich and self-sustaining culture. Lying on the edge of
the Tibetan plateau, this region was always open to influences other than
Tibetan. Central Ladakh was the bastion of Buddhism while Western Ladakh
accepted the relatively newer religion of Islam and much of the culture that
came with it. At the level of popular culture, Ladakh evolved its own highly
distinct style. It has a wealth of oral literature, some derived from the
ancient pre-Buddhist past of Tibet such as that based on the national epic; the
'Kesar Saga' while some seems to spring from the native genius of the people.
This includes a corpus of folk songs reflecting every aspect of everyday life and
yet rich in symbolism and imagery.
Ladakh's music has its own distinct flavour
as does its dance, an essential part of Buddhist social life.
6) Agriculture
Historically,
agriculture has been the mainstay of the Ladakhi economy. People have developed
very specific agricultural adaptations in order to survive in this harsh
terrain.
Through
a complex network of irrigation canals and through ingenious methods of
fertilising the soil, the people here historically produced more than enough
food for their needs. Despite the increase in possible sources of income from
other sources today - in the shape of government employment, military service and
the growing tourism industry - the centrality of agriculture in Ladakh persists
to this day.
The
vast majority of Ladakhis are self-supporting farmers, living in small
settlements scattered in the high desert. The average family holding is five
acres though occasionally a household might have as many as ten. Optimum
acreage is determined by the size of the family, roughly one acre per working
member of the household. The principle crop in Ladakh is barley and about two
thirds of the fields are planted with such while the remainder are planted with
fast growing varieties of wheat.
7) Strategic significance in
ancient times
Ladakh
has great geostrategic importance since ancient times and the passes of this
region connect some of the most politically and economically significant zones
of the world like Central Asia, South Asia, China and the Middle East.
Ladakh
is one of the most important regions of Jammu & Kashmir situated on the
northern most point of the State. Historically Ladakh included Leh, Kargil,
Gilgit, Hunza and Skardu. It was indeed a part of strategic Greater Central
Asia since ancient times. For thousands of years the Russians, Chinese,
Persian, Tibetan and Indian Empires fought over the passes of this region in
order to dominate each other.
Geographically,
at present Ladakh remains the second largest division in Jammu & Kashmir
with an area of 59,146 square kilometres (22,836 square miles)** whereas Jammu
has 26,293 square kilometres (10,152 square miles) while the Kashmir Valley has
15,948 square kilometres (6,158 square miles) of territory. The area under
Pakistani administration consists of Gilgit Baltistan with 72,971 square
kilometres (28,174 square miles) and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) with 13,297
square kilometres (5,134 square miles). Meanwhile, China controls the Aksai
Chin part of Ladakh which it wrestled off India in 1962, an area comprising of
37,244 square kilometres (14,380 square miles) and it also entered into an
agreement with Pakistan to obtain the Trans Karakorum Tract (Shaksgam Valley)
of Gilgit Baltistan in 1963. This territory comprises of 6,993 square
kilometres (2,700 square miles)***.
8) Ladakh as a buffer zone
In
mid-April (2020) a Chinese army unit of 30-odd troops crossed the Line of
Actual Control (LoAC) into Ladakh (on the Indian controlled side) and put up
their tents for the night.
This
event - which was not an isolated incident - caused much consternation in the
Indian
media and symbolises the mutual suspicion that both countries have towards each
other. These sentiments of mistrust are expressed in the fact that both sides
have been building up their military presence along the LoAC in recent years.
Considering both countries are rising nations which share a 3,800 kilometre
long border of which large parts remain disputed, there is concern that
increased cross-LoAC tensions could become a source of potential instability.
Like
India's struggle
with Pakistan over Kashmir, the dispute over Aksai Chin is almost as old as
India itself. The origins of this contention date back to the British Raj which
failed to demarcate the border between its colony and China definitively. By
and large, today's
border issue revolves around two main boundary designs that had been put
forward by the British. One of them, the Johnson-line places Aksai Chin under
Indian control whereas the other, the MacDonald-line includes it in Chinese
territory. However, none of these boundaries had ever been anchored in a
binding bilateral treaty.
Hence,
the status of the Indo (rather J & K) - Chinese border in the Western
section at the time of Indian independence remained unsolved. With New Delhi
using the Johnson-line as its national border and Beijing adhering to the
MacDonald-line, Aksai Chin became a breeding ground for conflict. In the 1950's, after the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had
annexed Xinjiang and Tibet, Beijing ordered the construction of a road to
connect both regions. This road known as Highway-219, runs through Aksai Chin
and it means that China had already started to take effective control of that
area.
However,
it was not until 1957 that the Indians learnt about the road. A proposal by
Zhou En Lai to settle the border issue by recognising Indian control over
Arunachal Pradesh and Chinese control over Aksai Chin was rejected by
Jawaharlal Nehru. India's
move for a forward policy to keep the Chinese forces in check and eventually
push them out of Aksai Chin (which the Indians perceive as an integral part of
Ladakh) was met with a Chinese military campaign that plunged both countries in
a brief but bloody war in 1962, which ended in humiliation for India. Since
then the MacDonald-line has been the de facto border in the Western sector.
9) Ladakh is Rich In Natural
Resources
Ladakh
is situated within the upper reaches of the Indus watershed, which in total
supports about 120 million people in India (in the states of Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and including Jammu & Kashmir) and about 93
million in the Pakistani province of the Punjab (literally meaning 'The Land of
the Five Rivers'). Careful management of water resources within Ladakh is
therefore vitally important, not only for the livelihood of Ladakhis and the ecosystems
of Ladakh but for the health of the whole river system itself.
Solar
radiation also happens to be one of the most abundant natural resources in
Ladakh, with annual solar radiation exceeding the averages for many areas of
India with high insulation.
Another
promising natural resource which marks Ladakh out in the Indian subcontinent is
its geothermal potential. Surveys have identified geothermal resources at
depths suitable for exploration and development. Some estimates suggest a potential
of as much as 40
megawatts
in Puga Valley (South East Ladakh). This resource could also be developed to
provide grid-connected power to smaller settlements.
The
presence of resources is what makes China, India and (possibly) Pakistan to
struggle over Ladakh. Meanwhile, India and Pakistan remain in conflict with each
other over Siachen while China and India battle over Aksai Chin in this region.
Ladakh's
geostrategic importance has increased in the backdrop of these conflicts.
10) Tourism in Ladakh
From
trekking and mountaineering to Buddhist tours of various monasteries, Ladakh
has it all. Popularly known as the 'Lama Land' or 'Little Tibet', Ladakh lies
at altitudes ranging between about 2,743 metres and 7,672 metres.
Interestingly, the thin air makes the heat of the sun even more intense than at
lower altitudes. Thus, it is said that only in Ladakh can a man sitting in the
sun with his feet in the shade suffer from sunstroke and frostbite at the same
time!
11) Ladakh's geopolitical
significance
In
modern times, Ladakh assumed strategic significance with the rise of the British
Empire in India during the 19th century. Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Punjab helped
establish Dogra rule in Jammu and Kashmir by recognising the strategic importance
of this region. Gulab Singh emerged as the leader of the Dogras while being subordinate
to Ranjit Singh. It was the former who further recognised the strategic importance
of Ladakh and with the aid of his soldiers under the leadership of Zorawar
Singh, embarked on a military campaign to Ladakh and after much trial and error
(between 1834 and 1842) was able to conquer it.
After
the fall of Ranjit Singh's empire in the Punjab in the 1840's, the British
appeared to continue his policies in respect of these regions. Gulab Singh
further expanded and consolidated his kingdom of Jammu & Kashmir by
offering to pay 75 lakh rupees for reparations in the first Anglo-Sikh War that
the Sikhs couldn't pay to the British.
Later,
many in the British Empire criticised themselves (or each other) for what they saw
as a blunder when they began re-examining the great strategic importance of
Jammu & Kashmir in general and Ladakh in particular. Moreover, the
extension of Russian power into Central Asia during the 19th century ushered in
the beginning of the 'Great Game'. The geostrategic importance of this region intensified
for the British Government of India in the context of a European power reaching
the North Western borders of their empire in India. The British in response increased
their power in this region by establishing an agency at Gilgit and a commission
at Leh.
Post
1947 on imminent British departure, geopolitical change happened once more in
Ladakh when in due course large parts of the territory were occupied by China,
India and Pakistan.
Post
1991 has seen the onset of yet another 'Great Game' and thus added geostrategic
significance has emerged whereby Central Asia now has a relatively easier
geographic access with and to this disputed region. It has almost become common
knowledge that the interests of many different nations such as the USA, China,
Iran, Turkey, Russia, India and Pakistan are to increase their access to the
abundant natural resources of these Central Asian countries.
Indeed,
a country such as India would have geographical proximity to Central Asia only
through this region as Tajikistan is a mere 20 kilometres from Gilgit Baltistan,
which could also be considered as Greater Ladakh in some senses.
In
addition to this immense resource potential and the growing tourism sector
since 1976, Ladakh remains contested by the growing nations of China, India and
(possibly) Pakistan. However, the various territorial disputes involving these
3 aforementioned countries have arguably hampered the infrastructural
development of this region. Accessibility to and from the outside world is also
troublesome.
The Chinese
though have succeeded in accessing this region for themselves by constructing
the Karakoram Highway through Gilgit Baltistan. Consequently, the distance
between China and the Arab World which used to take months of travel, is now
being covered in days.
It is also
generally believed that the presence of NATO and a war like situation in
Afghanistan has increased the importance of Ladakh (including Gilgit Baltistan)
for China and this importance will continue to rise. The Pakistani incursion
into Kargil in 1999, the Chinese presence in Gilgit Baltistan and the recent Chinese
incursion into the Indian (claimed) part of Ladakh is testimony to this fact.
It
should be pointed out though that the people of Ladakh do not want to see their
land as a place of confrontation. Rather, they wish to see their undoubtedly
geo-strategic land as a trade hub whereby cooperation rather than competition
between various neighbours would lead to an anticipated rise in peace and
prosperity.
The
land of Ladakh should be envisaged as the land of connectivity, like it was in
ancient times. It wants to enjoy the significance of being located along one of
the many ancient silk routes that pass through this region. This would enhance
the development of human civilisation as a whole as trade would develop
culture, religion, philosophy and all other modes of creative thinking.
The
passes of the Ladakh region connect some of the most politically and
economically significant zones of the world including Central Asia, South Asia,
China (East Asia) and the Middle East. Neighbours of the Ladakh region include
China in the North, Tajikistan and Afghanistan in the West and Pakistan in the
South.
It can
be reiterated that the South Asian countries can reach Central Asian markets
through this region. Countries like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan are
rich in uranium, cotton, oil and gas resources. In future, an oil and gas
pipeline from Iran to China can pass through this mountainous corridor. India's energy needs can also be met
by constructing a pipeline from Central Asia via this region as can the already
proposed pipeline project of Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pass through
this region.
Meanwhile,
China and India can also use this territory for energy connectivity. However,
neither China nor India nor Pakistan show any such interest of cooperation in
this region for what are perceived to be security reasons. However, it cannot
be emphasised enough how the benefit of cooperation is highly greater than the
cost of confrontation. In the age of globalization and interdependence, no
country can survive alone. Every nation is dependent on each other and
therefore one should look for means of cooperation and integration despite
whatever political difficulties may be involved.
Positive
development in this region will further lead to the positive development in
relations between China, India and Pakistan. Ladakh could once again become the
gateway to Central Asia.
Thus,
the entire Ladakh region including Gilgit Baltistan needs to be perceived as a land
of contact with three regions: Tibet in the East, Xinjiang in the North,
Pakistan in the West, Afghanistan and Central Asia in the North West.
Let
Ladakh the roof of the world be the roof for the meeting of different nations..
This article was initially
researched, compiled and written by Khan Umair Khan
It was edited by Tanveer Ahmed
@ ajkpublicagency.org
Notes:
*This figure includes the
region of Aksai Chin, with China since 1962 and originally considered a part of
Ladakh
**This figure does not include
Aksai Chin
***The figures quoted for these
7 distinct regions make up the erstwhile Dogra State of Jammu Kashmir &
Allied. They have all been taken from Wikipedia and do not correlate exactly to
the figure of 222,236 square kilometres (85,806 square miles) often quoted by
Indian sources. The disparity is likely because the 2 areas controlled by China
have an element of being counted twice.
End....
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