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Army chief to visit border areas

Army chief General S Padmanabhan will visit border areas to discuss Chinese intrusions, with local commanders next week, close on the heels of Union Defence Minister George Fernandes' one-day trip to the north-east.

This will be Padmanabhan's maiden visit to the north-east as Army chief.

The army insists that it is part of 'familiarisation trips' but officials admit that the intrusions will figure "prominently" during meetings with officers of the Eastern Army Command.

He will spend four days, touring all north-eastern states.

Fernandes visited Arunachal Pradesh last week, only to give a clean chit to the Chinese, saying Indian boundaries were safe.

Fernandes' claim that the border along the north-east was safe is generally being endorsed by army officials, but they admit that there have been incursions.

The incursions came to media attention after Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Mukut Mithi claimed last month that there have been several instances of Chinese incursions and that the Indian security forces have found a Chinese-built mule trail at Kaila Pass in Dibang valley.

Indian Army officers admitted, "We are aware of instances, especially a noticeably large portion of incursion in Arunachal Pradesh." At least a region of the size of a football ground, with a helipad, is still in Chinese possession, according to Indian Army sources. This is officially denied by the army and government.

The army maintains that 'incursions' is an issue that can be resolved at the 'border post level' but sources admit that the incursions are "old and unresolved".

During the Kargil war last year, the army had noticed the presence of many Chinese in civvies across the border. Most were noticed in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, officials said. Though some media reports had claimed that they were found on the Indian side, army sources said there was no "absolute confirmation".

Contrary to media claims that the Chinese were noticed on the Chinese side, officers pointed out that most were on the Pakistani side.

The presence of Chinese, engaged in building activities, was reported to the cabinet committee on security during the Kargil war. But the committee decided to play it down, the sources said.

However, the crisis, ignited by Mithi and lapped up by the media and initially Fernandes, is now worrying the ministry of external affairs, which is preparing for a meeting of the experts group this month in Beijing.

MEA sources said that the experts group will discuss the incursions "but that will not be a stumbling block in our discussions as we need to go further".

Intricacies of the delineation of the Line of Actual Control is the most pressing agenda. Presently, discussions will involve the LAC bordering Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

The experts group, to be held in Beijing at the level of joint secretary, prepares the ground for the Indo-China Joint Working Group which is headed by the foreign secretaries of both countries. The JWG will meet next year, the sources said.

The experts group will also discuss the possible visit of Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Ronji next year to India.

The army maintains that the incursions, mostly mule tracks and "minor" other traces, are issues that can be handled at flag meetings between local commanders. However, officials at the army headquarters said they keep the cabinet committee on security and ministry of external affairs "constantly informed" about the incursions.

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