The Chinese betrayal, with war thrust on India and the debacle in 1962 affected
the Indian psyche and the Indian army, though in some sectors, the Indian army
fought valiantly till the last man. Nehru died in 1964 as a broken man. Lal
Bahadur Shastri became the next Prime Minister. The Indian defeat to China in
1962, emboldened Pakistan. In 1965, Ayub Khan decided to take advantage and attack India. The Pakistan army attacked India along the LOC in Kashmir, thinking that
since the Indian morale was down, it could easily run through and take over
Jammu and Kashmir. They miscalculated that India would be bogged down in
Kashmir and would not escalate the war. But their plans misfired badly, India
defended at the LOC and also opened a new front across the international
border in Punjab and attacked Pakistan. They were caught unaware. They were
never prepared for this. India pushed in further, ferociously attacked the
enemy and almost reached Lahore. Realizing their folly Pakistan agreed to mediation
by Russia. And the accord was signed, it was known as the Tashkent Declaration.
It was agreed that the troops on both sides should go back to their positions
where they were before the war. Unfortunately, Shastri died in Tashkent under
mysterious circumstances. But officially it was declared that he died of a
massive heart attack. Indira Gandhi became the next Prime Minister.
The 1965 victory over Pakistan was a morale booster
for India and the Indian army. They once again believed in themselves and
realized they were a powerful and disciplined fighting force with a long history
of bravery, and remembering the sacrifices of the many brave soldiers, regained
their lost confidence. The Indian army was back in action and was equipped with
the latest equipment, clothing for high altitude, guns and ammunition. And they
were led by able and experienced men and officers. The morale was high and the
forces were ready for any eventuality. However the new Prime Minister, Indira
Gandhi was inexperienced and was yet show her acumen. But incidents in the
coming years, 1967 China war, merger of Sikkim in the Indian Union in 1975 and in 1971 Bangladesh
war showed she was made of sterner stuff with a political will and ability to
take timely and tough decisions.
The Indian military, overcoming the loss in 1962, got
a chance to retaliate, they dealt a severe blow to PLA in 1967 in Nathu La
sector that resulted in the death of over 400 Chinese soldiers and a few days
later in Cho La, a fact neither debated in Beijing nor Delhi. The Vietnamese
Army had dealt a similar blow to PLA in 1979 along the Sino-Vietnam border
merely four years after unification of Vietnam.
The Nathu La (September 11–14, 1967) and Cho La
clashes (October 1, 1967), were a series of clashes between India and China
along the Sikkim border. According to a Sino-Indian expert, the conflict ended
with the defeat of China. Indian troops drove back the attacking Chinese
forces. Many PLA fortifications at Nathu La were destroyed, and for the first
time got the taste of Indian fire power and ferocious retaliation by Indian
army with the 1962 loss in the back of their minds. . According to the defence
ministry, 88 Indian Army personnel were killed and 163 wounded while China lost
over 340 soldiers and 450 were wounded during the two incidents. China, as
always however, claimed a lower number of casualties. The Sino-Indian border
remained peaceful after these incidents till 2020 China–India skirmishes.
According to independent sources, India achieved
decisive tactical advantage and managed to hold its own against Chinese forces.
Many PLA fortifications at Nathu La were said to be destroyed, where the
Indian troops drove back the attacking Chinese forces. The competition to
control the disputed border land in Chumbi valley is seen as a major
cause for heightening the tensions in these incidents. Observers have commented
that these clashes indicated the decline of claim strength in China's decision to initiate the use of
force against India, and stated that India was greatly pleased with the combat
performance of its forces in the Nathu La clashes, seeing it as a sign of
striking improvement since its defeat in the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
Following the 1962 Sino-Indian War, tensions
continued to run high along the Himalayan border shared by India and China.
Influenced by its previous defeat, the Indian Army raised a number of new
units, nearly doubling their deployed forces along the disputed region. As a
part of this military expansion, seven mountain divisions were raised to defend
India's northern borders against any Chinese attack. Most of these divisions
were not based near the border, save for the Chumbi Valley, where both
Indian and Chinese troops are stationed on both sides at close range.
Particularly at the Nathu La pass in the valley, alongside the Sikkim-Tibet border,
the deployed Chinese and Indian forces are stationed about 20–30 meters apart,
which is the closest of anywhere on the 4000 km Sino-Indian border. The
border here is said to have remained un-demarcated. Chinese held the northern
shoulder of the pass, while the Indian Army held the southern shoulder. Two
major parts of the pass, south and north of Nathu La, namely Sebu La and Camel’s
back, were held by the Indians. From 1963, small-scale clashes in the
region were frequently reported in the press. On 16 September 1965, during
the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, China issued an ultimatum to India to
vacate the Nathu La pass. However, GOC 17 mountain division's Major
General, Sagat Singh, refused to do so, arguing that Nathu La was on the
watershed which comprised the natural boundary.
Starting from 13 August 1967, Chinese troops
started digging trenches in Nathu La on the Sikkimese side. Indian troops
observed that some of the trenches were clearly to the Sikkimese side of the
border, and pointed it out to the local Chinese commander, who was asked to
withdraw from there. Yet, in one instance, the Chinese filled the trenches
again and left after adding 8 more to the existing 21. Indian
troops decided to stretch a barbed wire along the ridges of Nathu La
in order to indicate the boundary. Accordingly, from 18 August, wires were
stretched along the border, which was resented by the Chinese troops. After two
days, armed with weaponry, Chinese troops took positions against the Indian
soldiers who were engaged in laying the wire but did not fire.
Again on 7 September, when the Indian troops
started stretching another barbed wire along the southern side of Nathu La, the
local Chinese commanders along with the troops rushed to the spot and issued a
serious warning to an Indian commander to stop the work, after which a scuffle
took place in which some soldiers from both sides were injured. Chinese troops
were agitated by the injuries to their two soldiers. In order to settle the situation, the Indian
military hierarchy decided to lay another wire in the centre of the pass from
Nathu La to Sebu La to indicate their perceived border, on 11 September 1967.
Nathu La - Accordingly, in the morning of 11
September 1967, the engineers and soldiers of Indian Army started laying
the stretch of fencing from Nathu La to Sebu La along the perceived border.
According to an Indian account, immediately a Chinese Political Commissar,
with a section of infantry, came to the centre of the pass where an Indian
Lieutenant Colonel was standing with his commando platoon. The Chinese
Commissar asked the Indian Colonel to stop laying the wire. Indian soldiers
refused to halt, saying they were given orders. An argument started which soon
turned into a scuffle. After that, the Chinese went back to their bunkers and
the Indians resumed laying the wire.
Within a few minutes of this, a whistle was blown
from the Chinese side followed by medium machine gun fire against Indian troops
from north shoulder. Due to the lack of cover in the pass, the Indian troops
initially suffered heavy casualties. Shortly thereafter, the Chinese also
opened artillery fire against the Indians. In response, Indian troops opened artillery
from their side. The clashes lasted through the day and night, for the next
three days, with use of artillery, mortars and machine guns, during which the
Indian troops beat back the Chinese forces. Five days after the clashes had
started, an uneasy ceasefire was arranged. Due to the advantageous position
Indian troops had because of their occupation of high grounds at the pass in
Sebu La and Camel's back, they were able to destroy many Chinese bunkers at
Nathu La. The bodies of dead soldiers were exchanged on 15
and 16 September. The Indian and Western perspectives attributed the initiation
of these clashes to the Chinese side. The Chinese, however, blamed the
Indian troops for provoking the clashes, alleging that the firing had started
from the Indian side.
Here I would like to narrate an incident which changed
the mood and boosted the morale of the Indian army in the years to come. When
the Chinese firing took place and with heavy casualties on the Indian side. A message
was sent to Major General, Sagat Singh who was at the Brigade
headquarters. He rushed to the spot, gathered his men boosted the morale of his
troops to respond appropriately. For opening artillery fire, he needed permission
from his superior officer, who wasn’t present. He tried contacting the Eastern
Command headquarters at Calcutta, headed then by Gen Manekshaw. But he had gone
to Delhi and was acting as Chief of Staff, since the then army chief was out.
Meanwhile, Major General, Sagat Singh took full responsibility and ordered
artillery fire. A message was flashed to Delhi. The message reached the then
Prime Minister Indira, she immediately gave a go ahead. This decision by Major
General Sagat Singh to open artillery fire changed the course of the war.
The Chinese bunkers were pounded. The Chinese soldiers ran for their lives and
they were chased by the Indians and many were killed. They will never forget this assault.
Cho La - On 1 October 1967, another clash between
India and China took place at Cho La, another pass on the Sikkim–Tibet
border, a few kilometres north of Nathu La. The duel was initiated by the
Chinese troops after a scuffle between the two, when the Chinese troops
infiltrated into the Sikkim-side of the border, claimed the pass and questioned
the Indian occupation. China, however, asserted that the provocation had
come from the Indian side. According to the Chinese version, Indian troops had
infiltrated into the Chinese territory across the pass, made provocations
against the stationed Chinese troops, and opened fire on them.The military duel
lasted for a day, the Chinese got a taste of the strong Indian response. According
to Indian Maj. Gen. Sheru Thapliyal, the Chinese were forced to withdraw nearly
three kilometres in Cho La during this clash. . According to an Sino-Indian
expert, the conflict ended with the defeat of China. Indian troops drove back
the attacking forces.
Then in 1971, the Bangladesh war happened and India
came out victorious. Sikkim became an Indian state in 1975, after a
referendum which resulted in overwhelming support for the removal of monarchy
and a full merger with India. The Indian merger of Sikkim which they called annexation of Sikkim was
not recognised by China during the time. In 2003, China indirectly
recognised Sikkim as an Indian state, on agreement that India accept that
the Tibet Autonomous Region as a part of China, though India had
already done so back in 1953. This mutual agreement led to a thaw in Sino-Indian
relations. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said in 2005 that
"Sikkim is no longer the problem between China and India." Hence
China always tries to remind India about 1962 and conveniently forgets about the
1967 defeat.
Also read:
India China Diplomatic Row in 1967
Americans in Afghan war
MyPost
Are we the same people?
A foreigner friend of mine once asked – ‘Are Indians and Pakistanis the
same?
I told him – We may look alike. We may dress similarly. We may eat the
same kind of food. We may share the common culture, history and tradition.
There may be many commonalities, but we are not the same. If we were the same,
then why did we part in 1947. Why did we fight three wars. You ask a Pakistani,
he too might tell you the same. Though we share a common border, we are
different just like we share a common border with China and are very different
from them.
Some of the politicians from north are bent upon convincing that
Pakistanis are our brothers, unjustly separated from us, who long for peace and
friendship with India. The truth is that Pakistan is a separate nation,
distinct, independent country. Just as you see the external similarities
between us; look deeper, you will find distinct dissimilarities in us – in
politics, the people, their approach to problems, their thinking, their
home-grown problems, their government, etc.
However whatever happens in Pakistan will have some consequences for
India. India has to be a quiet observer and watch what unfolds or happens there
from time to time. It is clear – we are not the same people. And they too feel
the same.
Trying to prove we are same, creates more mistrust and suspicion.
Sometimes, being different and accepting it with mutual respect for one
another, helps to give peace a better chance!
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